by Maya Daniels
“Sorry,” I mumble through my hands.
Genius, I know. Well, that’s all I’ve got. I really don’t know why I did it. And to make things worse, a giggle escapes my numb lips. It is so unexpected that it surprises even me.
“Oh, shit! Now she’s done it.” I hear Faith’s voice coming from the stairs and I know my sisters have come upstairs to see what the noise is all about.
I inch slowly to the doorway and poke my head out. They’re all eyeing me, their eyebrows raised to their hairlines as they try to hold in their laughter, which of course makes them look constipated. This makes me giggle even more, the sound getting stuck in my throat when the growl of an angry bear comes from Lucifer’s mouth. I barely have time to look at the girls before two muscly arms wrap around me, lift me off the ground, and make me squeal like a two-year old.
“Downstairs, now!” he snaps at them.
They all bolt out of there like their asses are on fire. So much for sisterly love, huh?
“Thanks, assholes!” I yell at them, and that earns me a loud slap on my butt that shuts my mouth real fast while leaving me stunned.
“How dare you! Put me down right now!” I shout at him, twisting in his arms so I can pound my fists on his chest.
He grunts at that, but he doesn’t release me. I wiggle my arm out of his hold and swing at his face. That makes his head snap back and we both freeze for a moment. Slowly, oh so very slowly, his head comes back up and those eyes zero in on mine. I know he won’t hurt me. I will bet my life on that. That, however, doesn’t mean my blood doesn’t freeze in my veins and the breath doesn’t get stuck in my throat. Still, I keep acting like a woman possessed.
“That will teach you to spank me like a child!” The words leave my mouth of their own accord and his eyes smolder even more.
Just to prove my stupidity, I swing my arm back to punch him again. That’s as far as I get though. Moving faster than my eyes can track, he pins both my arms behind my back and pushes me inside my room. Holding me with one hand that spits on my ego, he shoves the door closed. I open my mouth to say something about his display of barbarism when dizziness hits me and I find myself pressed face-first on the door with Lucifer’s body pinning me there. I can barely take a breath.
“I was not aware you like to play, Alexia. I am all for that!”
“Damn it! Let me go, Lucifer, or I’ll burn your ass while you sleep!” I snap, but the fire has left my voice and it sounds more breathy than I would like to admit. To my utter embarrassment, he nudges his thigh between mine and a moan escapes my lips. I hear his low, soft growl … the way it vibrates from his chest and through my body. All of a sudden, I’m in a desperate fight with my hormones. It’s a losing battle … especially when he presses more firmly between my legs. Like a bitch in heat, I want to rub myself on him, though somehow I force my body to stay still.
“You are driving me mad, woman,” he growls, shoving his face into my neck and taking a deep breath.
“You were crazy before I met you, angel. I had nothing to do with that. And stop sniffing me like a dog!” I tell him breathlessly.
This makes him throw his head back and laugh. My nipples react to that even more as they attempt to drill holes in the door. Heat radiates between my legs. I know he is aware of it. He groans and moves his thigh slowly, rubbing with enough pressure that my head falls back on his shoulder.
“Why are you doing this, Lucifer? Don’t you think I’ve had enough? Or are you trying to finish the job of killing me since the others failed?”
It’s my last defense, playing on his sympathy. Obviously, I can’t say no to him. No hot-blooded sane woman would, if I’m being honest. He is just too perfect for my monkey brain to get on track with self-preservation. But if I get him to back off, I’ll have no other option but to stay away from him. I can’t take another heartbreak. I know that as well as I know my name.
“You are mine, Alexia. I will not let anyone else touch you. I was blind before, not realizing what you are to me, but now that I am certain, I will not let you go.”
The conviction in his voice! My entire body shivers and goosebumps cover me from head to toe. It also scares the shit out of me. What the fuck does that mean? He will not let me go? I’m not a freaking toy.
“I’m not an object you can possess, angel. Let me go.” I wiggle to no avail.
“No, you are not. But you are mine.” He kisses my neck with such possessiveness that I almost faint from the sheer heaviness of his words.
“I can’t fight you, obviously, so you can have my body,” I tell him, resigned because I know I can’t win. I want him as much as he wants me, no matter how hard I try to make my body obey.
“I don’t just want your body, witch, although I shall have it and enjoy it very much. I will have your heart, too, since I already have your soul.” His voice rumbles in his chest, making me tremble.
“Maybe that’s why I can’t fight you … because you have my soul.” I struggle to grasp onto any argument to stop the tsunami that will hit my life after this because I know nothing will ever be the same again.
“Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.”
With those words, his arm sneaks around me, grabbing my breast and kneading it, pinching my nipple and forcing uncontrolled moans to come out of my mouth. My hips move without conscious thought, rocking on him, seeking to relieve the pressure building at my core. His erection grinds on my lower back, throbbing even through the clothing separating us. His deep moans join mine, and he releases me to grab my clothes. I twist around, clawing at his t-shirt and jeans. Ripping sounds drown our voices, and before I know it we are standing, staring at each other naked as the day I was born and he was created. Seeing Lucifer with his clothing stretching to an inch of its life to accommodate his body is beauty all on its own. Seeing him naked in front of me, his muscles flexing since he is trying to stand still and not grab for me so I can look at him, is something entirely different. Tears prickle my eyes from the perfection before me. No mortal should lay eyes on this.
“You are so beautiful,” my whispered words break the silence.
He snorts at that, shaking his head slowly as though waking from a trance. “Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately, Alexia? Maybe after that, you can speak of beauty.” His deep rumble makes me shiver.
Grabbing my hand, he yanks me in front of the floor-length mirror in my room and turns me so I’m in front of him. He is so tall my head barely reaches his shoulder, but I can’t pull my eyes away from his. He takes hold of my chin and gently moves my head so I’m facing myself.
“Look at yourself,” he murmurs.
It’s awkward looking at myself naked in the mirror with him standing behind me, so I keep my eyes on him, my face burning like I’m a fucking shrinking violet or something. Stupid, I know, but I can’t help it. After looking at him, nothing else can come close to perfection. I’m well aware of my shortcomings in the looks department.
But he will have none of that. He shakes my head more firmly, frowning at me. “Look!” He forces me to turn my eyes to the scene in the mirror.
The woman staring back at me is not one I have seen before. S shiver runs up and down my spine. Her hair is glossy and disheveled from our wrestling earlier, her body has a flush to it from the raging hormones, but her eyes swirl with emotions. They look hungry, feral. She looks like a wild woman. This can’t possibly be me.
Chapter 7
Lucifer…
Having her naked body pressed to mine makes me want to howl, throw her down, and rut like an animal, but the uncertainty I see in her eyes feels like a sword stuck in my chest. She is such a strong, brave, and loyal creature that it is easy to forget she has doubts and fears. Unto my last breath I shall make it my mission to remind her just what a beautiful creature she is.
“Do you see yourself, Alexia? Do you see how beautiful you are? You take my breath away and make me feel like a mere mortal.” She lifts her eyes to mine, and afte
r a moment looks back at herself again.
The woman in my arms is taller than the average human female. She is willowy with beautifully shaped legs that hold slightly-curved hips. All the training we have done has made her flat belly ripple slightly, making her waist small enough that I can grab her one-handed. Her narrow ribcage leads to perky breasts jutting out with dark nipples begging for my mouth. Her long, elegant, swan-like neck makes her look graceful and my lips long for the touch of her skin against them. Her pink lips are slightly parted, anticipating my next kiss, and her dark hair spills over her shoulders like a waterfall. She looks like an Amazon warrior, and my cock jumps and twitches between us from the sight of her. Grabbing one of her breasts with a hand and cupping her between her legs with the other, I growl and her eyes snap to mine again. Her face is flushed and her cheeks are red, which tells me she feels embarrassed looking at herself naked. This makes my chest swell. Possessiveness takes hold of me, and my words come out rougher than intended.
“No one but me shall lay eyes on this from now on.”
“You don’t own me, Lucifer. I will do as I please. Plus, I don’t walk around flaunting my naked body,” she snaps.
I chuckle at her words. That sharp tongue of hers makes me even more determined to hear her moan and beg. Her eyes change from brown to blue and that tells me her emotions are running high. Her soul trapped in the ruby around my neck pulses like a heartbeat. I slide my hand under her knees and lift her to my chest.
“Enough looking. Now I make you mine.”
She stiffens in my arms and my steps falter.
“Are you afraid of me, Alexia?” I gaze into her eyes and I know I can drown in their depths.
“I don’t fear you, angel. I fear what you can do to my heart. Unfortunately for you and me both, my vagina is connected to it. They don’t operate as separate organs,” she says as if annoyed by this fact.
“I shall not hurt you, Alexia.” I place a gentle kiss on her lips, making her breath catch. “I will not betray you. On that you have my word!”
She looks into my eyes and I let her see the depth of my devotion to her. I don’t think it is possible for me to betray her or hurt her, even if I wanted to. Our lives are threaded together in a way that it will be like betraying or hurting myself. I see that now, and I hope she does, too.
Slowly she nods her head, but still I see that she is not fully convinced. That makes my decision for me. No matter what, I shall give her more time. However, I will make sure when the time comes she will always turn to me. She will always choose me. Right now, it will not be about me and what I want. It will be about her.
Placing her gently on the bed, I start worshipping the goddess in my arms and leave no part of her un-kissed. Nipping at her collarbone, I slowly descend and take her nipple in my mouth, sucking gently, making her moan long and loud. Her hands tangle in my hair, holding me there—like I would want to be anywhere else. Moving my attention to her other nipple, I slide my hand down her belly and cup her core. She is so hot and wet that my moan is louder than hers. Parting her folds with my fingers, I glide them back and forth a couple of times before inserting one finger inside her. We both moan at this, her muscles gripping my finger like they want to pull me inside and keep me there. Circling her nub with my thumb, I pump my hand slowly, still sucking, licking, and biting her nipples. She arches her back under me, almost throwing me off her.
“Oh, sweet goddess. Lucifer, do something.” Her husky, breathless voice makes me crazed.
Taking a deep breath to keep myself under control, I insert one more finger. Her hips buck, chasing my hand with a silent scream. She is a vision like this, magnificent. This makes my chest swell, and a dark chuckle escapes my throat. I shall make sure I see her like this often.
Sliding down her body, I lift her legs over my shoulders and kiss my way up her inner thigh. She props up on her elbows to look down at me, her eyes hungry and such a deep blue color they remind me of a stormy sea. With my eyes locked on hers, I place my mouth on her nub and suckle. Her eyes roll back in her head and she drops down, grabbing her hair with one hand and mine with the other, holding me where she wants me. Her feet dig into my back and she rides my face while I lick, suck, and probe her depths, drowning in the taste of her. My cock throbs where it is pressed against the bed, but I ignore it.
“I need you inside me,” she moans the words like a plea, and I smile. “Please, Lucifer, I need …” the rest are moans and intangible words.
I want to see her shatter in my arms, so I redouble my efforts. I keep sucking and licking, placing my fingers inside her, pumping them faster and harder until her body stiffens. I bite gently on her nub and suck hard. Her muscles clamp onto my fingers until I can’t move them an inch and her scream makes my insides vibrate. Her juices flood my mouth and I drink her in greedily while she shakes, breaking apart in front of my eyes and screaming my name. Her power blasts me unchecked, and the erotic feeling of it makes me roar her name. Like an adolescent fool, I come hard, my seed spilling on the sheets underneath me over and over again, making my whole body vibrate from the force of it. When she finally calms down, I lift my head to look at her. My heart stops beating and my chest tightens from the emotions playing in her eyes before she closes them and passes out. I can’t blame her. This was a powerful energy bonding, and I didn’t even have her wrapped around my cock. There will be time for that later; she needs her rest first.
Shaking my head and chuckling at my own predicament, I crawl up her body and kiss her gently. She mumbles something but doesn’t wake. I look at the mess I made. This woman will be the death of me. I pull the sheets to the ground and lift her gently, grabbing the blanket from the end of the bed. Crawling behind her, I pull her to my chest, where she turns and nestles her face in my neck. It feels right, like nothing has ever felt before. A wonderful sense of wholeness fills my heart and with one deep breath, I wrap my arms around her and drift off to sleep. She is finally where she belongs, and the universe needs to help whoever tries to hurt her or take her away from me.
Chapter 8
Alexia…
Waking up in Lucifer’s arms makes my body stiffen, remembering the entire afternoon and night he spent giving me one orgasm after another but asking nothing in return. If I tried to touch him he would only say, “This is for you now, so you never doubt what you are to me,” and he would distract me to the point that I couldn’t remember my own name.
Pent-up emotions bubbled to the surface and took over both of us. There was no rational thought, only undeniable need, the result of it leaving me naked in his arms pressed to his chest while he holds me as if someone might take me away.
Looking at his face relaxed in sleep, I can’t help but admire him. He is like every woman’s wet dream—a few men’s, too. If I have learned anything in my existence, it is that if something feels or looks like it’s too good to be true, that’s because it is. The thought makes my heart beat like a broken drum, erratically in my chest. No one can hurt your feelings unless you let them. They are your feelings, after all. With that, I harden my heart and, as carefully as possible, I wriggle out of his embrace.
“Good morning to you, witch.” he mumbles sleepily. I freeze, glancing into his hooded eyes and seeing the smirk on his face. When was anything easy for me? I want to slap that smirk off his handsome face so bad my hands are itchy. “Going somewhere?” he asks.
“I need to get up. If you forgot, we were supposed to get the potions this morning.” I frown at him like it’s his fault I overslept.
Well, it is when I think about it, and that pisses me off even more. Not for what he did, but for my inability to resist him.
“We shall go tonight. We know where to go after we bring them here, so there is no reason to rush, is there?”
“I doubt Tiamat is sitting idle while he waits for us to have sex, Lucifer,” I snap and wiggle more to get away from him. Yeah, it doesn’t work.
“Theoretically we did not have sex,” he growls
the words, his deep voice wreaking chaos in my body
“No, we were debating climate change.” I roll my eyes and he chuckles.
“I like this climate change debate very much,” he says, and I can’t stop the smile splitting my face. Damn him.
His lips tickle the skin on my neck where he places feather-light kisses. I need to get the hell out of this bed. No, scratch that. I need to get the hell out of this world to stay away from him.
“Stop that. Let me go. I need to see if the others are pissed off at waiting on me to get my lazy ass out of bed.” I push on his chest and he reluctantly releases my trapped body.
I bolt out of bed like it’s full of nails, forgetting I’m butt naked until his harsh moan makes me turn to look at him. His eyes roam my body from head to toe and all the blood rushes to my face. Geez! Blushing virgin much? Remi and Jezzinta would have a field day if they knew about this.
Not trusting myself with the temptation of him naked in my bed, I grab whatever I can find and pull it on as I run out of the room. His booming laughter follows me. I really, really want to go back and burn his ass, but that would mean I’d have to look at him again, so I run down the stairs and head for the kitchen. Coffee. I need lots and lots of coffee. Coffee will fix all my problems.
“Oh, look! The four AM lady is up and running. We can stop worrying about her leaving without us now,” Remi says cheerfully from her place at the table.
When I eye her, she raises her eyebrow at me, daring me to open my mouth. She has a lot to say. I can feel it coming.
Bravery, my friend, is for the stupid.
So, what do I do? I head straight for the coffee pot, my entire focus on it, and keep my mouth shut. Yes, I know. I’m a coward and proud of it, too.
Everyone else is here, eating breakfast, but I ignore them, even when the rest of them snicker and giggle. I don’t doubt they heard everything last night, so I’ll play stupid. Very mature, I know, but that’s me.