He let out a shiver, then absorbed his wings back into his body.
“Hey, I wasn’t done yet.”
A low laugh rumbled in his chest. “We’ll have time for that later. Dawn isn’t too far off, and I want to show you this.” Ronin led her to the edge of the wall. “Look at how peaceful everything seems from this height.”
Amara peered through the safety railing. The lights from the neighboring buildings lit the horizon in a multitude of colors, some of them blending into each other in a glowing blur. Noise drifted up from the bright streams of flowing traffic some eighty floors down. Combined with the sound of the blowing breeze, it translated itself into a muted roar.
“You’re right,” she said. “There’s a calm sort of beauty about seeing all that chaos from this high a distance.”
Ronin moved in close beside her, the heat from his bare torso warming the right side of her body. “You know, I’ve never brought anyone here with me before.”
“Not even your brothers?” She turned in his direction. Though the stark angles of his face were half-hidden by shadow, the rigid planes of his chest practically glimmered in the artificial lighting. A quiver of longing ran down her body, leaving her moist between the thighs. That would be a constant state of being when he was around, she surmised.
He must have picked up on her allure, because the muscles in his back went taut and a low hum of energy vibrated off his body. “Not even them.”
“Why not?”
“I guess I always felt like this was my special place. Where I could come for peace and solitude.”
“But you brought me here.”
“Yes.” He moved closer, so the light in his eyes was visible. “I thought it was solitude I sought, but now I see I was wrong. It was a sense of belonging. I feel that with you, Amara.”
The honesty in his expression set her body ablaze. A cacophony of emotions swelled within her, each threatening to overtake the other. Gratitude, desire, joy, fear. What she felt for him was so new, so fragile, that she feared it wouldn’t survive. Her life was suddenly no longer about her and Solara alone. Ronin was an inescapable part of it now. Even more, that made her mind-blowingly happy.
Holy crap, she was in love with him. So much for guarding her heart. Turned out she was more like Solara than she’d thought.
“I feel that, too. More than I ever thought possible. I...”
The words she longed to say stuck to her tongue. This slender thread of emotion binding them together was too new, too unfamiliar, to speak of it.
As if he could sense her inability to express how she felt, he reached out and closed his hand over hers. “It’s you and me from now on. No matter what happens. We can face anything, as long as we do it together. Deal?”
She sensed the change in the air that told her this was a defining moment. She could say yes, and they would face the future together, however unknown. Or she could say no and continue focusing on her guilt and sorrow for the mistakes she’d made in the past.
There was no choice to be made. Not really. If she fell, he’d be there to catch her. Wasn’t that what every person dreamed of?
Hope sprung inside her, fluttering up from her stomach to tighten her chest and lift her heart to her throat. Maybe, together, they’d be unstoppable. “It’s a deal.”
The corners of his lips tipped upward and he drew her in, slanting his lips over hers in a kiss that shook her to her very core. She slid her fingertips along his back, memorizing every curve and angle of his hot, sleek flesh. Nothing could compare to the erotic feel of his satin skin on hers. She wanted to touch him forever. To taste him. To claim him. Perhaps, in a way, she already had.
“I could spend every minute of the rest of my life making love to you and it still wouldn’t be enough,” he confessed to her as he slid his hands down to cup her bottom and pull her closer to him.
Happiness—that elusive emotion she’d chased her whole life—floated through her body on gossamer wings. Now more than ever she understood. All these years she’d chased her mother’s love, and even if she had managed to earn it, she still would have been empty. Love wasn’t something that could be captured or bought, or even earned. It merely was. In one’s heart, in their mind. In their soul.
The right words might escape her, but she put everything into her eyes. “Then make love to me, Ronin. Right here. Right now.”
§
Ronin had experienced a great many emotions in his life. Some horrible, like the pain of losing his first family, and others wonderful, like the joy of defeating Mammon and watching him get locked away. But he’d never felt the way he did now. Seeing the hopeful, earnest expression in Amara’s eyes as she offered herself to him was almost his undoing. Whatever it was that bound them together, it couldn’t be undone. He knew that now.
She was meant for him.
He headed for the nearby set of stairs that led inside the building and climbed the five short steps to the top before setting her down. It wasn’t the luxurious bed of down and silk she deserved, but given their surroundings, it would have to do.
Her body trembled as she unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it from her shoulders, then tugged her torn dress off, leaving her clad in nothing but her strappy sandals. From the musky scent of allure escaping her body and wrapping around his cock like an invisible glove, it was her passion and not the cold breeze that made her shiver.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“And you’re the most beautiful man. With the most arousing body.”
Her fingers drifted along his fly and she unbuttoned his slacks, sliding her hand inside to cup his erection. She pressed soft kisses to his bare chest while her hand moved up and down, working him into a frenzy. “Have I told you that you fill me in the most amazing ways? At times it almost feels like too much, like one more thrust might make me shatter into pieces. Then of course I have to push you harder, so I can find out if that’s true.”
He groaned when she moved against him. Her words, combined with her touch, already pushed him to the verge of climax. Not yet. He grasped her hand and pulled it away, then directed her to sit on his shirt on the top step. “I have to taste you again.”
“Ronin,” she gasped.
He knelt on the lowest step and spread her legs, baring her to his view. Allure poured off her in waves so intense that his cock pulsed in time with them, and the tiny pearl of her clit peeked out from the soft curls between her thighs, begging for his attention. He closed his mouth over it and she let out a cry, clamping her legs around his head. Her taste was richer, more mouthwatering, than the sweetest dessert. He hadn’t been kidding earlier—he could spend forever between her thighs. So he set about proving that to her, using his tongue and his fingers to drive her to the edge of ecstasy. In no time at all, she cried out and convulsed beneath him, yanking on his hair as she undulated to her climax. That alone almost made him come.
He moved up, positioning himself at her entrance, when she stopped him. “No, it’s my turn.” She tugged him to her step and flipped him around so he sat there, then slid onto her knees in front of him.
“I don’t know how long I can last,” he warned her.
“Mm...I have faith in you.”
With those last, teasing words, she closed her mouth around him. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he cried out from the almost unbearable pleasure of her lips on him. Her long hair floated down to tickle his abs as she moved up and down, varying the rhythm. Driving him to the brink of a mind-shattering climax. The gentle swells of her breasts jiggled with her movement, and the hardened buds tempted him to lift her up so he could draw them into his mouth. Not to mention what the generous mounds of her backside did to him. He’d never before been much of an ass man, but he could envision taking her there. The truth was, he was up for anything as far as Amara
was concerned.
“Enough.” He drew her away before he was tempted to spill himself between those perfect lips of hers.
“Ronin,” she whispered, her eyes half-glazed with lust, “I want you.”
“Yes.” He drew her up so she straddled him and guided her down. Her silky heat enveloped him, inch by agonizing inch, until he was fully seated within her. She moaned and arched her back, at last placing her dusky nipples within reach of his mouth. He closed his lips over one, then the other, worshipping them as they deserved.
“You’re driving me crazy.” She sighed and buried her face in his neck, moving her hips in countermotion to his own. “Don’t stop.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” When she tightened her legs around his waist, he grasped her hips and used that as leverage to pound into her. The way she cried out and dug her nails into his back told him she liked the fast and furious rhythm. The heavy perfume of her allure scented the air and clung to his skin, settling into his pores like a drug of the finest sort. Urging him to move faster. Thrust harder. Go deeper.
Every time with Amara surpassed the last. Her scent, the feel of her skin, the way she moved her hips in small circles on top of him. Every single thing about her was a fucking turn-on, making him wonder how he could last one more minute without exploding inside her as he longed to. He gritted his teeth and tried to hold onto his control.
“More. Deeper. Please,” she cried out, raking her nails down his flesh.
She was right. It wasn’t enough. Nothing about her would ever be enough. His body strove for a physical connection as intense as the emotional thread that wound them together. He lifted his hips from the ground, arching them up so he joined with her as deeply as this position would allow. The cries tearing from her throat grew louder and longer, but even still...
“Not enough,” he groaned. Keeping one arm wrapped around her waist, he used the other to push off the ground into a standing position. He slid her off his body and turned her so her she faced the railing. She had time to do no more than grasp the railing before he spread her legs and pulled her hips to him, plunging hard into her welcoming heat. The sound of her hoarse yell filled the air and she reared back, matching him thrust for thrust.
Never before had he felt so complete, like he belonged so fully. If her mind was the gift, then her body was the treasure. Soft, wet, and so hot.
Mine. All mine.
After several more thrusts her muscles tensed and she screamed, plunging back against him as she rode out her climax. His self-control broke and he followed her over the abyss. Pleasure like he’d never experienced before pulsed through his cock, sending his release streaming into her body. Blinding black dots obscured his vision and danced in tune to the ringing in his ears. For one second he thought he might pass out. If he did, it would be well worth the mind-blowing experience. But in the end he stayed standing, though the muscles in his legs were so relaxed he could barely hold his own weight.
Maybe he’d be better off sitting.
Grabbing hold of Amara’s waist, he sat onto the step and pulled her down on top of him, with her back to his chest and his erect cock still buried inside her. Amazing how right it felt to be joined with her, even now, after the heat of their passion had begun to recede.
“That was amazing.” Amara leaned her head back against him.
He wrapped his arms around her and lifted a hand to cup one of her breasts while he nuzzled her neck. “Yes it was.”
“You’re a master at lovemaking, and I’ll tell anyone who asks.”
That made him laugh. “If I am, it’s only because you’re so inspiring.”
She made a soft sound of pleasure in her throat and rubbed up against him. “The sun will be up soon. Let’s hurry and get back to your place so we can do this again.”
“Sounds like the best plan I’ve heard all day.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Asmodeus paced his third-floor balcony for the tenth time that night. Curly ribbons of dawn snaked through the sky, painting the dark with orange ribbons of light. Another half hour and it would be full daybreak outside. All of his subjects had returned hours ago. All but two: Gofrey and Amara.
Belpheg’s deadline rapidly approached. He was running out of time, and something had gone wrong. He could feel it in his gut. In the gnawing disappointment ravaging him like a flesh-eating worm. He’d been so certain his plan would work. With Amara back in his grasp, the Detainors would have rapidly followed. The burgeoning bond he’d felt between her and one of the brothers would have drawn them all here. He knew that with a certainty. With the shield protecting his residence in place, he could have lowered it to lure them in one by one. Trapped each man as he came through and absorbed his power.
But now? Without her?
Belpheg would be furious that he’d failed to capture the brothers yet again, and so close to the equinox.
When he’d used his scrying bowl to spy on Amara earlier, he’d discerned that the brothers had found a way through the shield. What a conundrum. Capturing them practically guaranteed he would gain the two abilities he lacked, but if he didn’t get those powers before the shield fell, he might not be able to defeat them all. What to do?
The phone inside his main chamber rang. Asmodeus stepped inside and walked over to his table, taking a seat before he pressed the intercom button. “Yes?”
“It’s me,” said Faris, the man he’d called earlier to track down Gofrey. “I went to his apartment liked you asked.”
“And?”
“He’s there. Or what’s left of him, at least. Ain’t no doubt about it. He’s dead.”
“Shit.” Asmodeus slammed his fist down on the table. The news of Gofrey’s demise wasn’t a surprise, but it did place an unpleasant wrench in his plans.
“Want me to bring the body back to you or anything?” Faris asked.
“No. That’s all.” Asmodeus disconnected the call and sat back in his chair to contemplate.
He would have to go to Belpheg. It was the last thing he’d wanted to do, but he was running out of options. All his years of collecting abilities would be wasted if he couldn’t prevent himself from being apprehended.
Asmodeus closed his eyes and forced himself into a deep state of meditation. After some time, he felt his spirit leave his body. It landed in the desolate astral realm, right in front of the dark fae.
Belpheg cocked an eyebrow at him. “I’m surprised to hear from you again so soon. I assume you’ve absorbed their essences?”
Asmodeus hunched his back. “I’ve run into a complication. They defeated the contingency of demons I sent for them.”
Belpheg’s countenance morphed into a glower that sparked an involuntary tremble in Asmodeus. “You idiot. Now they may know about you!”
Asmodeus winced. “I’m afraid they already did. It appears the Council sent them for me.”
“What?”
The steely tone in Belpheg’s voice made a shiver race down Asmodeus’s back. “I may have let out a little...slip...to one of my mercenaries about the abilities I’d gained.”
When Belpheg’s hands shook with barely banked rage, Asmodeus said, “Do—don’t worry. I can resolve this. I’m almost ready to take them on.”
“You stupid fool,” Belpheg spat.
Asmodeus couldn’t help but bristle at that. True he’d made a mistake, but Belpheg had no right to speak to him this way. “I don’t know who you think you are, but—”
A clap of thunder sounded and, in the blink of an eye, Belpheg stood a few feet from him. With a mere lift of Belpheg’s hand, Asmodeus’s legs crumpled beneath him, sending him into an involuntary bow. He tried to rise but he was rooted in place, and his throat closed as if an invisible hand squeezed it.
“All of these years, did you really think you had any power in this relation
ship?” Belpheg’s hand shook and his voice sounded different than it ever had before. Deeper. Far more frightening. “Even as clueless as you are, I know you had to wonder what I received in return for the ability to distort energy I granted you.”
“Th—the right to borrow my powers at some future period of time,” Asmodeus choked out. “That was our bargain.”
“Yes. But more than that.” Belpheg laughed. “I changed you from a worthless, mentally damaged runaway into a man of wealth and power. Did you not think that would come at a great price?”
“What was the price?” Asmodeus whispered, knowing he wouldn’t like the answer.
A bolt of lightning pierced the dark sky.
“I also took your soul. Piece by piece.”
“No.” Dread and horror clawed at Asmodeus’s chest, threatening to suffocate him with its force. “No, you couldn’t.”
“It was so easy. You are nothing but my pawn. An egotistical fool.”
Did the dark fae speak the truth? Fury churned inside of Asmodeus, along with the bitter recognition that Belpheg wasn’t lying to him. Deep down, he’d sensed the loss of some integral part of him every time he accepted assistance from the mage. But he’d likely been too blinded by greed and his own personal agenda to acknowledge it.
How he ached to lunge at the fae and strike him down, but he couldn’t even move. He belonged to Belpheg; he saw that now. The best he hoped for was mercy.
“If what you say is true, then you must’ve spent years building me up for some purpose,” he said. “It’s in your best interest as well as mine to ensure I’m strong enough to elude capture. Give me something to help me overtake the Detainors so that I can manipulate their powers.”
Touch of the Angel (Demons of Infernum, #3) Page 23