A Demon's Wrath

by Alexia Praks

  “You’ll do, bride, you’ll do,” he whispered to her.

  * * * * *

  Chapter XIX

  WHEN CECELIA FLUTTERED HER EYES open, the first thing she saw was the bright-blue sky through the enormous window on the east. Beautiful was the first word that came to her mind as she lay there marveling at the exquisite scenery of green woods and wildflowers, the smell of ripe fruits and blossoms, and the feel of the warm sunlight on her skin.

  In the distance, she could hear birds and crickets chirping, and instantly, her mind flashed back to those wonderful summer days years ago when she’d been back on Rosevalley Island, her home, with her family. Just as quickly, reality hit her like a splash of ice-cold water. Her heart raced. Her body became alert, and she was very much aware of what had transpired last night in this very large bed.

  She was still a little sore, particularly down there where—

  She heard a chuckle and instantly knew Drake was there in the room with her. She had thought he’d left her alone after his successful, ardent seduction last night. But it appeared she was wrong.

  A blush spread across her cheeks, and Cecelia clutched the blanket tighter against her naked body as she heard his light footsteps moving toward her. A moment later, she felt him sitting on the bed behind her.

  Breathe, Celia, breathe, she told herself.

  Her heart was still pounding madly when he said, “You’re finally awake, little thief?”

  His voice, the deep timbre, did nothing to ease her awareness of him. She flashed her eyes open and turned her head, sucking in her breath once she saw him. She thought about feigning sleep but knew it would be to no avail, as he’d already seen her looking at him.

  “Yes, sire? What is it you want with me in such early hours of the morning?”

  “Not early hours, little thief. Rather, ‘tis nearly noon.” He grabbed ahold of the thin blanket and pulled it off her person.

  Cecelia gasped. “Sire!” she uttered, rushing off the bed to retrieve her cover.

  Drake caught her wrist before she had the chance to touch the white material and roughly pulled her to him.

  Totally and utterly naked as a newborn baby, Cecelia found herself sitting on the demon’s lap, her long dark hair in disarray about her person and her eyes large as she gazed up at him. She squirmed a little in his tight embrace as the warmth of his large body and his scent—pure male and spice and woods—did nothing to ease her fascination toward him.

  He pulled her closer, his warm, strong hand resting at the small of her back. She could feel him against her, the hardness and warmth of his lean body touching her soft one. Instantly, she felt her core heat in response and became weak, as if she’d already surrendered to him.

  Drake ran his fingers through her long hair, stroking the strands gently and then flipping them over her slender shoulder. Under the bright daylight, she was even more alluring, and it made his blood run hot with lust.

  He flicked his gaze to her flat belly, the belly that would soon be swollen with his jewel, his son, a future demon king. He noted the scar there to her right side just beneath her breast was quite prominent under the light. He brushed his finger across it, lightly caressing the mark of a healed wound from long ago.

  Cecelia involuntarily gasped at his feathery touch as a delicious tremor coursed through her being.

  He flicked his gaze to her and smiled. “You’re as sensitive as ever.”

  Cecelia didn’t like his arrogant remark, nor did she like the smug expression on his face. “‘Tis broad daylight, sire. Are you planning to—”

  “Aye,” he said, touching her delicate chin.

  “I refuse,” she said abruptly, brushing off his hand. Then before she lost all self-control under his masterful seduction, she shoved him back and rushed off his lap.

  She wasn’t fast enough, and he caught her wrist again. With one fluid motion, he had her on her back and him on top of her. He chuckled, rather pleased at her retaliation.

  “Playing hard to get again, are we? We both know where you’ll end up.”

  Cecelia made an attempt to wriggle herself free. It was no use, as he was stronger, and the harder she struggled beneath him, the tighter he held on to her. It was made worse by the fact that he seemed to be rather enjoying toying with her.

  He suggested, “Fight harder.” This drew a glare from Cecelia, and he laughed. “Go on, little thief. Fight me.”

  To encourage her retaliation, he tightened his grip on her even more, which shot pain through Cecelia and she gritted her teeth. She responded with a growl. Then quick as lightning, surprising even Drake, she moved, opened her mouth wide, and snapped her teeth onto one of his hands that held her captive.

  Drake watched, fascinated, as her small teeth sank deeper into his skin. Blood began to ooze as he watched her, a smile creeping across his face, enjoying the moment tremendously.

  Biting him so long her jaw would have to be sore by now, more blood ran from his injured flesh and then he felt the pain. It slowly began eating at him. The slow, dull ache mixed with the burning pleasure was quite delicious and intoxicating.

  Finally, he released her by pulling back his hand.

  One hand freed, Cecelia made a move, her lips wet with his blood. She lifted her head and attacked Drake’s shoulder, sinking her teeth deep into his skin.

  Drake was shell-shocked for a split second and then laughed softly. And here he thought she would have taken the opportunity to run off. Ah, but she really did surprise him, this mite of a human girl.

  Cecelia didn’t know Drake was enjoying her battle with him, and he was now gently embracing her, his large hand holding her at the nape of her neck as she ardently attacked him with her teeth.

  Cecelia could taste his blood, salty and wet in her mouth. She felt quite pleased with her small victory. Finally, very sure he would be begging for mercy now, she moved back. What she saw in his eyes the moment she faced him was nothing less than passion and hunger. Instantly, she felt her heart skip a beat and knew she was in trouble.

  “My turn,” he said softly and crushed his lips against hers, his tongue plunging into her mouth.

  Cecelia whimpered under his fervent kiss. She could taste his salty blood between them as their lips locked. Her body trembled weakly as he became wilder, thrusting and stroking his tongue vehemently inside her mouth, drawing her deeper into the darkness of his seduction. When he finally lifted his head, she was breathless and lightheaded from the experience.

  He watched her as she tried to regain her senses.

  “Don’t disobey your king again,” he said, fondly stroking her cheek with the backs of his fingers. Before she could respond to his arrogant remark, telling him he was not her king, he kissed her again.

  He was softer this time, his lips warm and firm against hers, and suddenly, Cecelia felt herself lost. She couldn’t think. All she could feel was him—his warmth, his male scent, and his taste. She groaned, and Drake plunged his tongue deeper into her mouth.

  Cecelia felt her core bursting as he played with her, wildly stroking her and exploring her. When he moved his head back, he continued his way down her throat. As he trailed lower to her breasts, Cecelia closed her eyes. Drake devoured a pink nipple into his mouth and continued to sweetly torture her until she groaned out in pleasure. He did the same to the other side before moving down to her belly where he gave little kisses to her sensitive scar.

  Cecelia writhed beneath him as he moved lower, and then before she could stop him, he was between her legs, devouring her sweet nectar. When he was done, she was breathless and shaking from the experience, and her need to be filled was driving her to the brink of insanity.

  She clutched her arms around his muscular neck as she searched his lips for a hot kiss. Groans escaped her sweet lips as she wrapped her legs around his torso, driving his shaft deep into her moistened channel.

  Drake chuckled lowly as she danced below him, pleasing him so much he flipped her around to take the lead.r />
  Cecelia cried out in pleasure and then bit her lip as she continued to move above him. Drake watched her, his heart glowing with a golden halo as he smiled. She was exquisite, and knew he was falling in love with this human thief who had stolen his pearl.

  He shifted his gaze from her face down her aroused breasts and then to her flat belly. There he saw the flickering of a golden glow, very much like the light of a fluttering candle.

  The new pearl inside her womb was bright and strong, and Drake’s heart radiated with love. He wrapped his hand around the back of his future bride’s neck, brought her down to him, and kissed her on the lips as they continued to make love to each other.

  * * * * *

  Epilogue

  Rosevalley Island

  ALONE AND IN THE DARKNESS of his isolated chamber within Rosevalley Castle, Marcus Arthur groaned in agony as the invisible, long, frosted hands wrapped about his neck, tightening around his flesh as if to suffocate him. Tears welled in his eyes as he held the mind barrier that protected him further from losing himself into the seductive voice that echoed deep within his head.

  Queen Josephine Arthur whispered into his ears, her icy voice resonating in his mind, her tongue licking his senses, causing him to shiver in both trepidation and disgust.

  “Draw out the power,” she whispered. “My dear Marcus, draw out the power from within the pearl. It will kill him. It will kill Drake McNamara.”

  The delicate invisible hand slowly slid from his thick, muscular throat, releasing Marcus from the brutalizing pain. Her hands glided farther down to his chest as if in a caress. There, the skeletal fingers moved in through Marcus’s broad chest and grabbed his heart. Queen Josephine squeezed the vital organ, hard, as if intending to kill it.

  Marcus’s eyes widened in shock, tears blinding him in agony as he growled aggressively into the night.

  He howled, long and hard, as he forced all his power into releasing himself from the spell that had enchanted him since he had been fifteen years old. A spell that had made him turn against his friends and comrades, kill many innocent lives, and now made him he who was. A fallen, tormented demon living like the dead.

  With all his might, with all his power, and with all his will, he fought the black magic that had crushed his spirit and was controlling him and using him like a puppet. With a push, his core glowed blue, thrusting out the dark orb that had engulfed him in the night.

  “Leave me be, you bitch!” he growled, forcing the dark magic to disburse about and then disappear into the night.

  Marcus sat there heaving with exertion as he gazed off into nothingness. He knew, as he knew war with Drake McNamara was imminent, that he could not be released from this curse. That Queen Josephine Arthur, the most beautiful creature who had stolen the king’s pearl for beauty and power, would return to him and make him do her bidding, for he was bound to her by blood. Aye, he was her puppet. He was her dog, ordered to do as she pleased. If he were not to do as she asked of him, why then, more torture would follow. One that would surely make him go mad.

  Marcus cursed, both in his own inability to fight back and the fact that he couldn’t kill himself to be released, for the queen had spelled him so. Only one creature could kill him, and that was Drake McNamara.

  Marcus laughed lowly, looking forward to the day his ex-comrade would finally slay him and liberate him from this torture.

  “We’ll meet again, my dear friend,” he said softly into the night, a handsome yet sad smile on his lips.

  * * * * *

  The story of Drake and Cecelia continues in

  A Demon’s Bride

  * * * * *

  MORE BOOKS BY ALEXIA

  FALLING FOR SAKURA TRILOGY

  A Secret Kiss (Book 1)

  A Secret Proposal (Book 2)

  A Secret Affair (Book 3)

  KIWI BRIDE SERIES

  His Hired Girlfriend

  Highland Kiss

  When the Sun Courts the Moon

  A Secret Admirer

  THE ROGUE SERIES

  The Earl’s Desire

  The Duke’s Revenge

  THE NINE KINGDOMS SERIES

  A Demon’s Wrath

  A Demon’s Bride

  His Crimson Rose

  About Alexia

  My dear reader,

  This is Alexia, and I would like to thank you very much for purchasing this book. If you like A Demon’s Wrath, then I encourage you to write a review. Better yet, rate this book and post your thoughts on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

  Here are some things about me.

  I love to write romance; be it contemporary, historical, fantasy, paranormal, or a combination of any of these. I live in historic, students-infested Dunedin, Aotearoa (land of the long white cloud), aka New Zealand. My bad habits? I love eating, daydreaming, watching anime, and of course, reading—fiction, non-fiction, and manga.

  I encourage you to visit me at www.alexiapraks.com and follow my blog at http://worldofalexiapraks.wordpress.com for more updates about my upcoming books.

  Join me on Facebook (AuthorAlexiaPraks) and twitter (@AlexiaPraks) to get connected.

  You Can Find Out When My Next Book Comes Out.

  Be the first to find out when my next book comes out and when I do a book discount or give away free ebook. I’m always working on the next great romance novel. Get my publication alert by signing up here: http://eepurl.com/N1_7n