by Tigris Eden
“More,” she hissed against his lips.
Her body jerked with the force of her orgasm as Bael replaced his finger with the hard length of his cock. He devoured her lips, hungry only for her as he slowly entered her. She was so wet, so ready, he had no problem sliding in.
“Yes,” she breathed into his mouth, and he did the same to hers--only his came out as a groan.
Her hips moved with his as he rocked back and then pushed forward, circling his hips as he brought her nothing but the sweetest pleasure. The taste on her tongue was the taste of the salve, along with his flavor. Together, it was the sweetest nectar she’d ever tasted. Abrihet couldn’t get enough. She needed him to go faster.
Her eyes flew open. The look in his amber orbs, once detached and aloof in the beginning when they’d first met, Bael’s gaze now aflame with the look of raw passion. As he pumped in and out of her folds, Abrihet couldn’t help but become entranced by the fascinating demon who rose above her and gave his body to her.
She drew in a ragged breath and moaned against his lips as she orgasmed again. She came hard and long, and all the while, Bael continued to stare into her eyes, never letting go, never blinking. When she finally settled, he pulled out, flipped her over, and said, “Now, I will take you as a warrior should take his mate.” She didn’t know what that meant, but as he positioned her ass up, head down, and separated her legs, he drove in with one hard thrust.
Abrihet’s head flew back. “Fuck yeah,” she breathed.
It didn’t take long before she was pushing back into his thrusts. Bael leaned forward, reached around, and cupped one of her breasts in a rough grip as he pounded into her from behind. She had to lock her arms in place to keep from falling over.
“Raktuves. Mine,” he growled.
She still didn’t know what he meant, but she didn’t care. The grip on her breast tightened, and as if there were a direct connection between her breast and her clit, a quick flare of heat knifed through her like a flash flood and centered on the connection of their bodies. She kept meeting him thrust for thrust until finally, she couldn’t hold herself up anymore.
That didn’t matter to Bael; he sat back on his heels, taking her with him, and began driving up. Abrihet’s tilted her head back, landing on his shoulder. She placed her hands on his arms and held on as he gave her everything. She welcomed it, screamed for it. Bael’s hand wrapped possessively around her throat. He was claiming her as his, she realized. Bael let out a roar she was sure shook the walls as he emptied himself inside her.
She’d thought they were done. Was sure he’d found his orgasm. But she heard him growl low in his throat as he whispered savagely against her neck in a language she didn’t understand. Both hands went to her ribs, and he began to pound into her in earnest. She didn’t know how long it lasted, but it was a while before he drove deep and stayed planted, letting go of a hoarse groan that was almost as loud as his roar before he collapsed with her in his arms.
Holy shit. No one had ever done that to her. Like ever.
Her back was to his front, and as he folded her in his arms, he whispered to her again about being his light. Then she felt his body move and realized he was adjusting his wings. He was covering their bodies with them. Wrapping them in a warm cocoon. The last thing she remembered before drifting into a peaceful, exhausted sleep was that she could do this for three more days. If sex with Bael continued like it was just now, she could do it for a lot longer than three days.
Chapter 9
Bael woke with the smell of warm, oversexed female in his arms. It was an interesting feeling to be sure. The last person he’d been with was Tenna.
Hells fire.
Tenna. She had to have heard about Abrihet by now. He was supposed to have gone into negotiations for her hand, but that wasn’t possible now. His assignment dealing with Abrihet changed all that. When he’d realized what she was to him, Tenna was forgotten. Tenna might understand, but her father would feel slighted.
Abrihet groaned beside him and turned into his chest. She burrowed into him and wrapped her arm around his waist. He wondered if she knew even in the night, she sought his comfort. She’d yet to use his true namesake. Connected to him by destiny, Bael hadn’t allowed himself to be tethered to her yet, and wouldn’t be until she said his true name.
She’d asked to see the true nature of him, though. Something that had taken him by surprise. He’d assumed she’d prefer the human version, but glad that she’d wanted the real him.
Abrihet tilted her head back and brought her mouth close to his. Bael wrapped his fingers around the side of her neck and gripped her nape firmly as he woke her with a kiss.
“We must rise. I will leave you here to eat while I go to the market. The servants will be here to attend to you.”
“Who attends to you?” she asked sleepily.
“I have servants who tend me, as well.”
That got her attention. Her eyes were wide and full of questions.
“They wash and dress you, too? Are they men?”
Bael laughed. No, they were not men. There were very few male servants.
“No, they are female like your servants. They wash, dress, and service me if I need it.”
Abrihet sat up, causing Bael to move his wings.
“Explain service.”
“There’s nothing to explain. If I feel the need for one of them to suck my cock or to be used in a manner that is pleasing to me, then they oblige.”
She had no right to question him or his ways.
“So, if I wanted male servants so that they could service me, that is allowed?” she asked, quirking a brow.
With a fierce growl, he pulled her into his chest and warned. “No other male will touch you the way that I touch you. Your needs are to be handled only by me. I fill you. No one else.”
“But I’m supposed to allow you to go around sticking your cock into every mouth or hole you see fit?”
“I’m heir to the throne, and soon I will be the Mērjoslu.”
“As if that’s an excuse. Even in hell, men find a way to be pigs.”
“It is not an excuse, Abrihet. It is the way things are.”
“Says the demon.”
With a frustrated groan, Bael got out of bed and looked down at Abrihet. He didn’t understand why she couldn’t grasp it. She would have to. In Wraith, things were different.
“I’m going to the market. You will eat, bathe, and be waiting for me, or there will be consequences, Abrihet.”
Those were the last words he gave her before turning to leave.
Bael made his way out into the market. Tenna would be selling her wares and talking to the children as they asked questions about how she acquired clothing from Terra. The children didn’t realize she had access to things discarded by those who sent into a life of servitude for their actions. He rounded the corner and watched as she haggled and dealt with others who came from all over to buy her clothing. He was never dishonest with her, and he wasn’t going to start now. She needed to hear it from him and not from others.
When Tenna spotted him, she gave him a shy smile.
“Bael.” Even though she’d barely whispered, he knew she’d said his name He moved his hand to his chest. He no longer had the same feelings he’d had for her before leaving for Terra. Then, there had been a warm fondness and attraction. The sensitivity wasn’t there anymore. Each step he took toward Tenna was a step away from Abrihet. She was back in their rooms, and he knew she was angry. She was upset about something that had been his way of life in Wraith for centuries. Emotionally invested, and now tied to Abrihet. If she was upset, he felt it. If she were hurt, he’d feel it as if it were happening to him. Right now, their connection was one-sided.
“Tenna.” He nodded in her direction, and she rounded her table to welcome him. Humans hugged. His kind touched foreheads and whispered their words of greeting. When she made her way over to him and brought her forehead to his, he felt pain. True pain. That only happe
ned when a demon’s emotions were tethered to someone else. And Bael was connected to Abrihet. Looks like I’m well and truly taken. Accepting service from his servants was no longer an option. As the weight of that settled, Bael found that he wasn’t too upset about it.
“Bael?” Tenna stepped back, her stance rigid as her eyes took him in from head to toe. “What’s happened, what’s changed?”
“I’m committed to another.”
The words sounded so foreign. He could see the hurt all over Tenna’s face.
“You’ve been gone for a while. But there are no demons up there. How can you be tethered? Have I not given you all that you ask? Is it because I didn’t want to wear your chain until you returned?”
His chain.
It was his claiming chain. It went to the one he wished to have as his. That had been Tenna. But she’d given it back, telling him to present it to her when he returned. What he hadn’t expected was the complication hanging out in his suite of rooms.
“Tenna, she is the one--the one from my Telling.”
She looked at him with sad eyes before she spoke. “So, what they are saying is true, then? You’ve found the one to who is to be our Karaliene?”
He nodded.
What else could he do? He wasn’t going to lie to her. That wouldn’t be fair.
“I will fix things with your father.”
“There is nothing to fix. We had yet to take vows. It wasn’t even going to be a true match until our fathers negotiated the terms of our mating.”
It was true. She was right. But he knew Tenna’s father would be upset.
“Is there a chance she will reject you?”
He shook his head.
Not after last night. There was no way she’d leave, and there was no way he’d let her go.
In the meantime, Abrihet would feel more comfortable in human clothing. He wanted her to feel easy-going. He wanted her to be amicable towards him not just in the bedroom but outside of it, too.
“Can I get your help with something?”
“Of course,” Tenna responded quickly. She was always one to offer support, but he didn’t know how she would react to this request.
“I need clothing for Abrihet.”
Tenna gasped. “That is her name?”
“Yes, why?”
“Bael, do you not remember your Telling?”
“Yes, of course, I remember my Telling. Everyone does.”
A Telling was a way of mapping out one’s life. A road map of sorts—several choices all rolled into one. But when one received their Telling, they always watched for a specific word or looked for key things that would stick out helping them down their true path. Bael’s reading foretold of his mate who would bring him light. That she would emanate such a light that she would show him his true path. Abrihet was his light, and he could see from Tenna’s face, that she now understood exactly what was happening.
“Bael, Abrihet means ‘she shines.’”
“Yes, I know. She is Luxa. My light, my path.”
“Bael, everything happens for a reason. You must give her your chain. She will help usher in a time of peace among our kind and others. She will bring forth your Awakening.”
He hoped so. He really hoped so. Otherwise, things would get out of control.
Tenna walked back to her table of clothing and asked him Abrihet’s size and style of dress. He gave her the information, and she provided him with a tank top, a pair of jeans, and some boots to complete the outfit. He knew this would make Abrihet comfortable, if nothing else.
Chapter 10
She’d fallen asleep in the sitting area on the floor pillows. After she’d eaten, bathed and dressed again by the servants, she took the time to get to know them. All three women, discussed their relationship status with their male demons, but they weren’t warriors. They were Ignis, the lower-class demons. Ang was shorter than the other girls with dark red skin and grey horns. Lisi also had dark red skin but was tall and svelte with two stubs instead of horns. She was the oldest of the three. Then there was Bece, she was the one who always smiled at Abrihet and had three horns down the middle of her bald head. Her skin was a pale yellow. All three women were unique in their looks.
Abrihet found she was most interested in what Bael’s servants did for him. Bece was the one to answer. “They do the same as we do for you unless he feels the need to entertain other ideas.”
It was those other ideas Abrihet had a problem with. If you keep him satisfied, he’ll have no reason to inquire about his servant’s other services. True. But she was only here for three days.
As she sat up and stretched, she realized Bael had been gone for some time. She couldn’t leave the room, not unless she was with him or someone he’d called Ranore, so walking around was out of the question. There was literally nothing left for her to do.
Abrihet walked into the room that held his artillery and was amazed at all she saw. There was all manner of weapons, from broad axes to longswords. There were even daggers, and bones carved into spikes. She’d just picked up a jeweled one when she heard someone clear their throat. When she turned, it was Bael. Her stomach fluttered, but she remembered he’d probably had sex with one of his servants that morning.
“I’ve brought you some Terran garments. Something to make you feel a bit more comfortable. I also brought you a Watcher.”
Bael handed her the clothing, and she looked up at him and couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. He was being thoughtful.
“What’s a Watcher?”
Bael turned and reached for something sitting behind him. It was the cutest thing ever. A miniature fox with big, fluffy, white ears tipped in black. It looked up at her with inquisitive violet eyes.
“She is called Samsara, and I was told she is the smartest out of the kits that were birthed.”
Bael handed her the tiny creature, and it snuggled into her arms.
Abrihet didn’t know what to say. It was cute, and that he’d bought her something, had thought of her at all, made her warm all over. Damn. He really knew how to lay on the sweet.
“Thank you, Bael.”
He took a step toward her, his eyes on her mouth the entire time.
“Your lips taste like the sweetest promise.” He lowered his head, kissing her softly before whispering, “I am bewitched by you, Abrihet. There is no reason I can find to fight this.”
His attractive words caused her to pull back. She couldn’t get caught up in this. Two more days, and then she was leaving. She was going back home. Plus, there was the matter of his servants. Had he been with them?
“Have you been with your servants since yesterday?”
“We’ve already spoken about this, but I will this one time give you an answer. No, I haven’t. There is no need now that I have you.” It looked as if he would have said more, but he didn’t. Instead, he watched her as if waiting for her response.
“I’m not sure I know what you want me to say.”
“Don’t say anything. Dress. Bring Samsara with you to the dining hall. We take mid-day meal there, and then you will be with me for the challenge. It’s all been arranged.”
Right. The challenge between him and Baylor. She’d slept with him, giving him strength. At least that was what Ang had told her sleeping with him would do.
“What will happen at the challenge?”
He grunted. “I will best my brother, bring him to his knees, and if he bows down to me, I shall spare his life.”
“But won’t that be seen as a weakness?”
“Not for me. But for him, yes. Should he bow, he will be seen as weak. Do not vex yourself with this matter. I will defeat him. You will sit next to my father, and my sister, Brenna as I do.”
Well, that was good news. At least she’d be able to get more information from Brenna on how she planned to get her out.
Bael started to pace as she dressed. Abrihet looked up at him and wondered what was bothering him.
“Things are di
fferent now,” he said, reverting back to English. “Not just for you but for me, as well.” He grabbed the back of his neck, and she could see his jaw working. His eyes narrowed before he closed them and took a deep breath, only to resume his pacing once more. “There are things you don’t understand. Things you won’t like. But as Tenna said, everything happens for a reason.”
“Who is Tenna?”
“She was the one I had thought to settle with in my life. But then you came along. All that has now changed. She understands.”
He stopped in front of her and looked down. It was the first time she’d noticed him. She’d always thought he was attractive in his demon form. That part was evident. But as he gazed down at her, she really saw him. He was just a man. He had responsibilities, and even he struggled with his feelings and all that came with their situation. He would sit on the throne someday. According to what he’d said, she was supposed to be the one to sit beside him. It was a lot for anyone to take in. Just like her, he’d had a whole other life. Had mapped out what it was he wanted, and now things were changing. He was aloof in every other encounter they’d had, as if she were a pest, nothing more than a person in his building. And then when they’d first entered hell, he’d treated her as if she were some sort of burden.
“Is there a reason you’re wearing a hole in that bearskin?”
“Bearskin?” he asked, puzzled.
“The rug.”
He looked down and sighed. “There’s so much you don’t know. It is not a bear, but I understand what you mean. I pace because there are things I must say. Things you won’t comprehend, but stuff you will have to abide by anyway. It’s not just what happened last night, or what will happen in the future, it’s everything from before, between, and after.” He reached for her hand, tangling their fingers together as he did. “I want us to work. Not because of what I was told, but because of what I feel here.” He placed their joined hands on his chest, and Abrihet could feel the pounding of his heart. It matched hers. There was a roaring in her ears as heat began to rise from inside. It started as a tingle, but slowly accelerated until the palm of her hand glowed.