Banshee Seduction (Montgomery's Sin Book 1)

by Diane Saxon

  Sensing no further threat, the dragon receded. Exhausted, Matt shifted to stand naked at Ginny’s side.

  Satan crossed his arms over his chest while all three of them tracked the rise of the crimson spark from the remains of the demon as it floated in leisurely abandon up to Ginny’s face. With a calm sweep of her hand, she smoothed her satin hair behind her ear. The voice of a heavenly choir filled Matt’s ears and caused the devil to cringe.

  Ginny tilted back her head, opened her full lips, and released a soft breath of divine sound to extinguish the tiny light and blast the molecule of ash through the gates of Hell so there was no chance of it ever coming back.

  The voices ceased, and silence reigned as Matt stared, horrified, at Lucifer in anticipation of his vengeance on them both for destroying his follower.

  Satan’s thick tail twitched with annoyance; his mouth twisted with regret. “There’s plenty more where he came from, but I take that to mean you’re not prepared to negotiate a deal.”

  Ginny’s tinkling laughter rose on the air. She slipped her small hand into Matt’s, the iciness of it a shock to his system. “Not with these souls, we’re not. I’m afraid you’ll have to look elsewhere.”

  The thunderous roar of the devil’s laughter reverberated in the air. “Be sure I will, angel. I’m always on the lookout for a soul to trade.”

  With a puff of smoke, he disintegrated to leave them alone in the pitch-black between the realms of Hell and Earth.

  Ginny fidgeted; her hand squeezed Matt’s. “Any idea how we get out of here?”

  Matt’s chest swelled with pride. “The same way I arrived.”

  •●•

  Oxygen filled her lungs, swift and deep, and her eyelids shot open. She blinked, momentarily stunned by the peaceful neon and golden light filtering through green to cast its ethereal cool glow all around her.

  “Matt.” She pushed at the dragon’s chest, stopping dead as huge jade-green eyes popped open. Long black eyelashes fluttered at her, blinked sleepily, and made her blood freeze. “Am I alive?”

  “It appears so.” The gruff voice of the man rasped through the throat of the dragon as his body morphed within her arms, the warmth of his gaze never leaving her. He cleared his throat and blinked. “Are you okay?”

  Memory surged to make her head ache and her heart throb. “You saved me.”

  His top lip flattened out into a sexy smile. “We saved each other.”

  The memory of their swift journey home buzzed her brain. Her last conscious thought before they fell into her bed was that sleep would be cathartic. She chuckled as she remembered Matt hadn’t even the energy to shift out of his dragon form before they fell asleep.

  She drew her fingers in a straight line down his chest. “I rode a dragon.”

  “Yeah.” His soft sigh feathered over her skin, making her belly crave more than just his breath. “Naked. You rode me naked.”

  Emboldened by his lascivious grin, she sat up and straddled his stomach, her knees barely touching the bed. She scraped one nail down around his nipple and delighted at the darkened passion in his eyes. She had him.

  “You said I’m your mate.”

  “You are.” She recognized the deep feral growl of the dragon, and a rush of excitement trembled through her. She flexed her hips to better appreciate the rough abrasion of his skin as it brushed against her delicate feminine parts. She gave an experimental rock and whimpered at her own ability to stimulate herself, using him as her inspiration. Moist heat rushed through her and poured silken onto his skin to aid her smooth motion.

  He raised his hands and gripped the tops of her thighs to stop her from moving any more. Confident he wouldn’t be able to resist, she gave a sly rotation of her hips and smiled as she allowed his hands to guide her, his thumbs sliding into the crease of her groin.

  He cleared his throat and peered up at her through thick lashes. “I have to claim you.”

  Puzzled, she stared at him. “Claim me?”

  “Yeah. Like make you mine and…ummm…dominate.”

  “You want to dominate me?” The laughter stuck in her throat at his serious look.

  “No. I have to. In order to claim you. You have to submit to me.”

  She moved backward slightly to remove the pressure of his hands against her flesh, making her thoughts stumble over each other. “If it involves chaining me and doing things with whips, I have to tell you, I’m not too comfortable with the idea. I’m claustrophobic. I’d panic.”

  His slow, lazy smile almost melted her, and the temptation to let him do absolutely anything raised a choir of distinctly hopeful singers in her head. She’d thought they’d gone, that the trip back from the fires of Hell had burned them out of her mind, but the madams were always there, even if they’d been hiding out for a while. They always came back. And damned if they didn’t seem to be more on his side than hers with their gentle hums of appreciation and sighs of encouragement.

  He raised one hand and cupped her breast, making her heart bang against her rib cage like a frantic bird trying to escape. She knew from his grin he could feel the thunder of it beneath his warm fingers.

  “No whips, no chains. Not today.”

  The bad boy made her bitch voices whoop with joy.

  With a sudden move, he whipped her over onto her back and slung his thigh over both her legs to pinion her to the bed. He stroked his hands along the length of her arms to stretch them out above her head. Her pounding heart sizzled with eager anticipation, and the fear she thought she might have felt, dissipated.

  “I just need to make love with you, Ginny. Now. Claim you, body and soul, and tether you to me for all eternity.” He ducked his head and smoothed his firm lips over her trembling ones. “It’s a messy affair, hot and sweaty with fire and lightning. Trouble is, I’m not sure you’re up to it.” He quirked his golden eyebrow at her and made the slut voices howl with excited glee.

  She grabbed him by the ears and hauled him in for a deeper kiss. Not up to it? Who was he kidding? She slipped her tongue inside his mouth and wallowed in his desperate response. It probably wasn’t quite what he’d expected. After all, she could hardly be termed submissive. She opened her mouth wider to allow his delving tongue to dance with hers while she ran her fingers through his thick, soft hair.

  His rough hands gripped her shoulders as he levered himself away from her and made the bitches whine in pathetic protest.

  He smiled.

  “Can you hear them?”

  His slow nod confirmed her suspicion. God, she was never going to be able to hide her feelings from him because those girls were never going to pipe down. “Why did you stop?”

  “I need something from you.” He propped himself up on his elbow so she wasn’t squashed by his full weight.

  The intensity of his gaze gave her not so much as a moment’s hesitation before she raised her hand to touch her fingertips to his lips. “Anything.”

  He narrowed his eyes and focused on her. “Anything at all?”

  “Anything at all.”

  “I need your love.”

  Her heart stuttered, and her breath lodged painfully in her chest. How did he not know he already had it? She’d been to the depths of Hell because of her love for him, and yet he still appeared to need her reassurance. She grazed her thumb over his bottom lip.

  Perhaps, like her, all he needed were the words. “I love you.”

  His mouth stretched into a long smile beneath her fingers. “Good. Now I need you to declare it. When I’m deep inside you, when I’m claiming you, I need you to claim me too. You need to cling to me. You can’t combust. You have to stay with me. I can’t risk you being sent back to Hell, nor do I want to go there myself. Once we’re bonded, it will be for all eternity. You have to be sure.”

  She puffed out a breath. It was a no-brainer, really. She gave him her brightest, widest smile. “I love you.”

  His white teeth gleamed. “Good. Now let’s have sex.”

  “Make
love.”

  “Yeah.” He breathed and sent a thrill shooting straight through her as he dipped in and claimed her mouth.

  As a thought occurred to her before her brain emptied entirely, she tapped him on the shoulder. He raised his head and quirked his eyebrow. “Hmmm?”

  “Do you want me to do anything?” At his puzzled look, she shrugged and stretched her arms above her head. “Or should I just…submit.”

  His attention immediately dropped to her breasts, which looked like an offering as her body lay supine on the bed. The touch of his gaze was rapidly followed by the stroke of one large hand. His hot wet mouth encompassed her nipple to make it pucker as he sucked, strong and pulsing, encouraging her hips to rise in a slow, rolling thrust.

  His wicked chuckle against her breast made her squirm even more.

  “I’ll tell you what.” His voice rumbled as he cruised his mouth over her skin and rasped his tongue over her taut nipple begging for attention. “You just see how long you can lie there being submissive, and I’ll test how far I can push a banshee.”

  “Half banshee.”

  He smiled as he licked her nipple again and made her writhe as he blew warm air across her skin while he cupped her breast in his large, gentle hand and plumped it up before sucking her into his hot mouth again.

  “Matt.” Female voices squealed in excited desperation as she gave herself over to him.

  Her body bowed as he slipped lower down, his lips burning a hot trail along the center of her body, his tongue tracing her middle line to dip hot and wriggling into her belly button and make her laugh. This, she knew for sure, was what she wanted for the rest of her life—for all of eternity. This man, this dragon shifter had enough to keep her happy forever. Just when she believed he was getting hot and serious, he could snap out of it and amuse her with his boyish charm.

  She tried to sit up, but he nudged her back, retracing his pathway up her body until his face was above hers. “I love you.” His green eyes glowed with golden-hued intensity, their translucent depths enthralling her. “Open your legs for me.”

  Without a moment’s hesitation, she allowed her thighs to fall apart and groaned with pleasure as he positioned himself between her legs. Her hot, swollen center was already prepared for him, but he appeared in no rush to be inside her.

  He nibbled along her jawline and smiled against her skin as she gave in and reflexively wrapped her arms and legs around him, caging him in. She was banshee. What could he expect? Submission wasn’t her game. She might be under him, but she made sure she surrounded him.

  She stroked the smooth, warm muscles of his back, pressing closer so every square inch of her skin touched his. The heat of his body penetrated hers, and she stopped thinking. She relied solely on her senses. The flex of his strong, hard muscles, the scent of him as she dipped her nose into the pulse at the base of his neck. The taste when she stroked her tongue along the length of his throat, feeling the vibration of his beast as it growled its approval.

  His large hand grasped the cheek of her backside and tilted her hips up as he entered her. Slow and controlled, he filled her to capacity, pushed his solid erection all the way as far as it could possibly go, and then withdrew almost out of her before pushing back again. She surrendered to his magic, tucked her face into the curve of his neck, and gasped as he repeated the steady, strong pace. Hot gushes of wetness soaked her, aiding him to slide in and out, his soft grunts of pleasure designed to send her wild with lust. The sweet aria she expected from her banshee voices took her by surprise as they launched into a hard, rocking rhythm and punched at her desire.

  She flung her head back against the pillow, frustration making her dig her nails into his flesh. Need turned hot and hungry with a dark, desperate edge, but still he kept the pace steady.

  “Matt.” She gasped. Wanting more, needing everything, and understanding his attempt to keep the beast contained, but she no longer cared. She wanted him. All of him, man, beast, dragon. She hammered her fist on his back and demanded he claim her.

  He reared his head back, bright green eyes wild with desire, and plunged into her, hot and hard. She understood from his long guttural groan when his control slipped, and she demanded he abandon it altogether.

  She loved the sounds he made. The low growling grumble of the beast, the sweet surprised gasps of the man as she slipped her legs higher up his back and encouraged him to plunge deeper. She gave herself over to the heat and the fire as she rolled her flames over his skin, letting them lick in places she could never physically reach.

  She felt the very moment she touched his soul. She opened her eyes and stared into the brilliant emerald depths of his. Golden luster rippled through them, and her yearning peaked, demanding utter surrender.

  “I love you, Matthew Dane. I. Love. You.”

  “I love you, Ginny Golding. I claim you.”

  With a flash of burnished flames that engulfed the pair of them, they climaxed together, shuddering their release, wrapped in silken bonds to make them whole.

  The hot rush of fire tamped down to a warm glow that flickered over them, relaxing her muscles and filling her heart.

  Flat beneath him, she lay completely still. Her breath came in small, satisfied pants, and a wicked smiled curved her lips. God, she loved him. She curled her fingers through his long blond hair and stroked his hot scalp while his muscles relaxed against her. “Are we bonded?”

  He raised his head, his deep green eyes filled with satisfaction. “You bet your sweet ass we are.”

  Amusement rippled through her. “It was good.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You tried very hard to keep control.”

  He smiled, and his blond hair flopped forward as he braced one elbow on the pillow beside her head and leaned his chin on his hand, not taking his gaze off her for one moment. “I needed to. I was worried with you being half human, you might not survive the inferno.”

  Surprised, she raised an eyebrow and stared hard into his handsome face.

  “Half human? Who said I was half human?”

  He jerked upright and brought her with him as he sat himself up and hauled her into his naked lap, pulling her in close and cupping her face in his hands.

  “You’re half banshee.”

  “Yes.” She nodded in agreement.

  “Then what the hell is the other half?”

  She smiled into his confused face and realized it was something they’d never mentioned. The subject of her other half had never arisen. How had he not realized? If she’d been half human, she would never have had the capacity to survive a dragon bonding. A small muffled giggle escaped her, and she reached out a comforting hand to smooth the flop of his hair away from his face. She wondered how he was going to respond. She allowed her eyelashes to flutter down over her eyes before she flicked them open and stared straight at him. Best to get it out in the open.

  “Angel.”

  He looked as though he was about to laugh out loud, but she pinned him with a serious stare and willed him to understand. His mouth quirked up at one corner.

  “Angel, huh? Some angel.” He swiped a finger down the length of her nose and then dotted his fingertip onto her chin.

  Relief flowed through her. It was going to be all right. “Half angel. The other half is banshee. I’m just really surprised Daniel didn’t say something.”

  He froze. Silence stretched out before he opened his mouth again. “Daniel? Well, how the hell would Daniel know something like that?”

  She chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment while she considered the wisdom of imparting the information she had. Then again, there should be no secrets between soul mates. “How long have you known Daniel?”

  “About ten years.”

  Surprised, she thought it might have been longer. “I thought he was your best friend.”

  Matt’s careless shrug didn’t fool her. “You don’t need to know someone very long to understand if they’re important in your life. You should know th
at.”

  “Yes, I do. But I’m surprised you haven’t realized the most essential thing about Daniel.”

  Impatient, he gave her body a little jiggle, almost making her laugh. “And what might that be?”

  “Daniel is…”

  “C’mon, Ginny. Tell me.”

  “Daniel’s an archangel.”

  Stunned silence filled the room as Matt stared for a long moment at her. His tanned skin turned ashen and then flushed red to the roots of his blond hair as he closed his eyes and allowed his head to drop forward. A leaden weight smacked into her shoulder and muffled his voice.

  “Of course he is.”

  She stroked his hair in slow, comforting swipes.

  He raised his head again, his emerald eyes a swirling mass of confusion.

  “The white feathers.” He nodded as though everything he knew about his best friend and had chosen to ignore slipped into place. “His remarks about souls.” He rubbed the crease in his forehead. “His ability to move quicker than greased lightning.” He shook his head. “His avoidance of bad language.”

  She waited patiently and witnessed the next thought in his widening eyes before it spurted from his lips. “His hatred of the vampire.”

  “Yes. She has no soul.”

  “Her fear of him.”

  “Yes.”

  “It makes sense.” He snuggled her in close and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. “I wonder why he never told me.”

  “You weren’t meant to know.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s your archangel. Sent to help you. If you knew, you would have wondered for the last ten years what he needed to help you with, and you may have missed it.”

  “Yeah. I couldn’t imagine missing you.” He rested his chin on the top of her head and rubbed a soothing hand over her naked back. “He held the golden key for me so I could rescue your soul.”

  “But more than that, he stopped you from losing yours. That’s why he was there. Not to save my soul, but yours. I just happened to be a side issue. A touchdown.”

  “Does this mean I’ll no longer see him?”

  “No. He’ll always be your archangel, but there will be others he needs to help.”