by Calista Fox
“Fair enough.” He could certainly breathe easier now that she was immortal. But he’d be a fool to think she’d obey his every command. He innately knew that was one of the things that would keep the spark between them. “Call me masochistic, but for some reason, I’m willing to put up with your insolence.”
“I’m not insolent, I’m stubborn. There is a difference.” She kissed him, passionately and hungrily. As though she’d missed him as much as he’d missed her. When she finally pulled away, she was breathless. But she said, “Now, ask me.”
He knelt on one knee, honoring a human tradition for her. Taking her left hand in his, he gazed up at her and said, “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Nothing I wouldn’t give you. I love you with all my heart, for all of eternity, Jade. Will you be my wife?”
Her smile was a radiant one.
Unfortunately, it quickly faded.
Davian scowled. “What? I did exactly as you asked.”
“Yes…except… It just occurred to me that I don’t know your last name. Do demons have last names?”
“No,” he said, confused by her train of thought.
“Then I’ll be… Mrs. Davian?” The corner of her mouth dipped. “That’s sort of ridiculous, don’t you think?”
Surnames… Another human tradition—one he hadn’t considered. One he’d never needed to. “No. You’ll be the queen.”
“Formally, yes. But in reality, I’m still me, since you don’t have a last name.” She seemed to find this an intriguing and pleasing notion, no doubt given her independent nature and the fact it kept her connected to her family name.
Who was he to argue?
“My love,” he said, still astounded by her constant passion for such things and wholly captivated and enthralled by her, “once committed to me, you will henceforth be known as Jade Deville, the Demon Queen.” He kissed the top of her hand. “By royal decree.”
Tears sprang to her eyes, as if she knew precisely why he’d made that decision. “Well, who’s going to question that? After all… You are the king.”
He resisted the urge to snicker at her quip when it came to those four words he’d adamantly reminded her of in the past.
“And you’ll be my wife?” he asked.
She nodded and smiled again as a few drops slid down her cheeks. “Forever and ever.”
He slipped the ring on her finger.
Then he stood and pulled her into his strong embrace, loving the feeling of her body against his, her breath on his neck, her arms holding him just as tightly.
For the first time since the Demon War had erupted, Davian found peace.
Yes…it was good to be king.
Chapter Thirty
“This is damask,” Sheena announced one evening as she whipped out a large swatch of silver-colored, patterned material from her oversized bag and slapped it on the desk in front of Jade at the library. More samples followed in lightning-quick speed. “Jacquard. Lace, obviously. Silk, organza, sheer, satin and, of course, taffeta.”
Lisette eyed the fabric squares and said to Jade, “Taffeta was big in the 1980s. Many a bridesmaid cringed over cotton-candy pink dresses with puffy sleeves and bows that made their backsides deceptively appear as though they required their own ZIP codes.”
Jade’s brow jumped. “That’s horrifying! And, by the way, what’s cotton candy?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Sheena said between clenched teeth. “Taffeta’s out.” She flung the swatch over her shoulder.
To Lisette, Jade teasingly warned, “Easy there. She’s from the ‘80s.”
With exasperation in her tone, Sheena said, “Ladies, focus. We have less than a month to plan a wedding and create the dress of the century.”
Jade sighed. “I don’t want the dress of the century.” How many times had she explained this to the vampire? “All I want is one that fits properly, doesn’t have puffy sleeves or a bow that requires its own ZIP code—and, most importantly, doesn’t take away from the Star of Nathea.”
She wore the necklace only on special occasions at the castle and sometimes at the cottage. But she certainly intended to wear it at her wedding. The pendant was a statement piece and Jade didn’t need an over-the-top dress to go with it or to detract from its shimmering brilliance.
“Think simple, Sheena. I know that’s difficult for you, but please try.”
Lord knew the vampire was already deep in disapproval. Jade had mentioned a white gown from the onset. But Sheena abhorred such a mundane selection. If it were up to her, she’d have Jade walking down the aisle in a flashy red evening gown. They’d finally agreed on silver. It was Jade’s wedding, after all.
“Fine.” Sheena eyed the samples she’d laid out and said, “Damask and jacquard have more of an antiquated feel…from the king’s time.” She never called him Davian in front of anyone other than Jade.
“Hey, now,” Jade quipped. “You’re calling my fiancé antiquated.”
“Jade,” Lisette chimed in with the girl talk. “He is two hundred and thirty-five years old and doesn’t believe in electricity.”
Not exactly facts she could deny. Yet she grimaced, anyway. “Have you both forgotten that I’m the bride? Be nice to me and don’t grief on my groom.”
Lisette said, “I will concede that, for his age, he’s ridiculously handsome.”
“Ridiculously, you say?” Jade mused. “I like that. And, indeed, he is.”
“Please,” Sheena drawled, “you’re talking about my boss.”
Jade eyed her speculatively and said, “You know, maybe you’d be less uptight about my wedding if you had one of your own to plan.”
Sheena glared. “And who do you propose I marry?”
“Are you kidding?” Jade scoffed. “There’s an entire castle full of vampires—the majority of which are extremely good looking. And all of them drool a little when you walk by.” To Lisette, she said, “I’ve seen it.”
Appearing offended, Sheena assured them, “Vampires do not drool.”
“Perhaps you’re not paying close enough attention.” Jade wagged her brows at her friend.
Ignoring the comment, Sheena continued to bustle about, waving the swatches in Jade’s face. “Lace and satin can be too predictable when it comes to the simple dress patterns you have in mind. Organza tends to be stiff and not quite malleable enough. Sheer has possibilities, but you don’t want layers billowing in the breeze, since you insist on having your wedding outdoors. That leaves us with silk.”
All kidding aside, Jade shot her friend an exasperated look for putting her through wedding-planning hell. “Why didn’t you just say upfront that’s what you want my dress to be made of?”
“Because it should be your decision.”
“But is it, really?”
Sheena beamed. “No, not really.” She packed everything as quickly as she’d flung them forth. “Though I am doing everything within my power not to try to sway you into having the ceremony in the kingdom’s courtyard and the reception inside the castle.”
“Absolutely not.” Jade put her foot down. “I want the entire village present and none of them would be comfortable at the castle, not even in the gardens. Plus… It’s too formal a setting and not at all my style.”
“You will be living there part-time,” Lisette reminded her.
“I know. But Davian understands I’m much happier at the cottage and in the village.”
Fear was no longer a factor. She’d been to the castle plenty of times since the engagement was officially announced, along with her immortal state. Since she’d earned the respect of Sheena, Morgan, Sebastian and Landford, her credibility had increased by leaps and bounds.
Over the past two months, she’d gotten to know others within the kingdom and she was developing a good rapport with the demons, including the vampires in residence who, like Sheena, derived personal satisfaction from proving they didn’t want to drink human blood. But the opulence of the castle still overwhelmed her.
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��Besides,” Jade continued, “Davian has already chosen a spot for the wedding, but he hasn’t told me where yet. He wants me to be surprised.”
“I have to admit,” Sheena said, “it’s nice to see this romantic side of him. He’s been a bit of an ogre for nearly nine years, pining for you.”
“That does have a surreal sound to it,” Jade said. “I remain in shock over everything that’s happened between us.”
“Well, you’d better get used to it,” the vampire said. “Because this is all happening. No backing out now.”
“As if I would,” Jade bristled. “I am very much in love.”
“And I’m thrilled for you.” Sheena gave her a quick hug. “Gotta run now.”
“I have to go as well,” Jade said. “Night patrol. I’ll walk out with you.”
Lisette patted Jade on the shoulder, still not fully amenable to her marrying the Demon King, but doing her best to support her friend.
They left Lisette at the library and traveled to the northern border together before going their separate ways. Jade made her rounds twice and returned to the castle before sunrise, passing Sebastian and Landford in the forest at the base of the ridge. They informally, though respectfully, saluted her, and she found the gesture charming.
She moved swiftly through the study and into the bedroom, stripping her clothes off along the way. Sheena had vacated the suites on the other side of the study and Jade used them now for her sitting and dressing rooms.
The vampire had moved into a different wing—out of earshot, Jade hoped. She liked that no one other than the guards at the entrance to their wing were permitted in the area, with the exception of Jocelyn and those instances when Davian’s assistant or general had business to address.
She slipped between the sheets and snuggled close to Davian, spooning him from behind. Her lips trailed over his warm skin and he stirred. She pressed her bare breasts to his back and dropped kisses along his broad shoulder as she inhaled his earthy scent. She was instantly aroused.
“Your skin’s cold,” he said in a sleepy rumble that was sexy as hell.
“It rained in the middle of the night. I had Sheena’s cape with me, although the ends of my hair are damp.” She lightly nipped his neck as her breasts rubbed against the sinewy muscles of his back. “See? A hair dryer would come in handy at this moment.”
He reached a powerful arm behind him and wrapped it around her waist. Dragging her forward, he pulled her over his hunky side. She twisted so she ended up on her back, her legs draped across his hip. She was tangled in the sheets, but didn’t care as he gave her a searing kiss.
When he pulled away, she was breathless.
He asked, “You want electricity?”
Jade glanced around the room, finding the low fire and the few candles he’d left burning for her a seductive enhancement to the large suite. Her gaze returned to him and she said, “I guess not.” She considered what improvements might come with the advancement, however, and added, “Maybe someday, though.”
He kissed her again, and the kind of electricity generated by their sexual chemistry was the only thing on her mind. One of his hands shifted from her waist and eased over the sheet that held her captive as it twined around her body. He palmed her breast through the soft material and gently squeezed. She moaned and he responded, his kiss even hotter than before. Possessive.
Jade wove her fingers through his dark hair and reveled in how luxurious the strands felt against her skin. When his mouth left hers, his warm lips trailed over her jaw and down her throat. Her nipples puckered as they brushed against the sensuous sheets, and her pussy ached for him. But a lascivious thought tickled the back of her brain and she gave him a push so he rolled onto his back. She had to work her way out of her position and the linen, and then she reached for her robe at the foot of the bed.
Davian groaned in disappointment. “Bad timing this morning?” He obviously thought she meant to derail their interlude by dressing. “We were at the cottage for five days straight recently. I thought you were back to the good beads.”
They’d made a change to their scheduled bed-hopping in order to accommodate her period, since she didn’t want to torture the vampires in the castle.
While she and Davian mostly stuck to the Standard Method of planning, sometimes he’d get carried away and didn’t give a damn whether she was ovulating or not. He’d withdraw from her before he came, but that didn’t offer any guarantees. And lately, he’d been hinting at starting a family.
But birth control was not of concern at the moment. “We’re in a happy place with the beads,” she assured him. “I’m just in the mood for something different.” Not that he wasn’t creative with his lovemaking. Every time with Davian was more exciting than the last, which led to her feeling adventurous.
She yanked the long sash from the robe and turned back to him, no doubt a sparkle in her eyes. “It’s my turn to tie you up.”
He smirked. “Kings don’t succumb to bondage and dominant females.”
Crawling toward him, she said, “They do when their soon-to-be-queen wants them to.”
He clasped her upper arms and pulled her down on top of him. “You make me so damn hard,” he all but growled.
“Then we’re off to a very good start this morning.”
Her lips grazed his and then she wiggled out of his clutches. She brought his wrists together and secured them with one end of the sash, and tied the other to the headboard, as he’d done to her the first time they’d made love.
Shoving the bedcovers away from his mammoth body, she admired every inch of him.
She licked her lips. “You are a masterpiece.”
Leaning over him, she left feathery kisses on his chest and then flicked her tongue over a pebbled nipple. His huge biceps flexed and she sighed dreamily.
Though quietly mocked, “Show-off.”
“You really think this flimsy tie is going to restrain me?” he asked.
“No,” she said as her lips skimmed over his smooth flesh. “The fact that I want to enjoy your body and drive you wild will keep you from ripping that tie in two.”
“This is what I get for wanting to give you your heart’s desire.”
She ran her hand along his erection, while once again whisking her tongue over his nipple. “You were the one who made the royal decree, your Highness.”
He snorted. “Don’t get sassy. I’ll eventually be free and then guess what?”
Her hand eased lower. She palmed his sac and tenderly massaged, making his body jolt. “Why don’t you stop thinking about what you’re going to do when you’re free of the sash and concentrate on what I’m doing to you now?”
“But there are so many things I want to do to you.”
She shifted on the bed and moved between his parted legs. “And you have an entire eternity in which to do them.”
Dragging her tongue from his base to his tip, she evoked a shudder within him.
He said, “You don’t even have to do anything and I want you.”
Her mouth closed over his head and she sucked him hard.
“Okay,” he conceded. “You make your point exceptionally well.”
She took him deep into her mouth.
“Damn it, Jade.” His body tensed, as though he fought a wave of sensation that just might take him over the edge.
She sucked harder. He picked up her rhythm and she could sense when he reached the pinnacle where he could hold on no longer. He called her name as he came, his body trembling.
As his orgasm ebbed, she released him, but didn’t untie him.
Her lips slid over his skin, across his corrugated abs. Then she kissed her way down to his legs, alternately licking and nipping at an inner thigh.
His voice was gruff as he said, “Remove the sash now or I’ll shred it.”
She lifted her head. “No, you won’t.”
Continuing her southern path, she crooked his knee and kissed the underside of it, then teased the sensitive area wi
th her fingertips. He responded to the light touch with another sexy sound that excited her.
Jade straddled his waist and pressed her naked flesh against his.
He said, “Now you really need to let me use my hands.”
“Not yet…”
She planted her forearms on either side of his biceps. Her body stretched over his, her breasts nestling below the ledge of his pectoral muscles. She kissed his neck as her hips rocked slowly. Her pussy lips, already dewy with arousal, slid easily over the heated skin of his belly.
Rocking against him was erotically stimulating. But she also wanted to make him crazy with desire.
She flattened a palm on the mattress and ran her other hand over her ass cheek, to the cleft. Reaching far as she arched her back, she pushed a finger into her pussy and stroked her inner walls.
Davian said, “I should be the one doing that.”
“Doesn’t it turn you on to watch?”
“Everything about you turns me on. Especially when you’re rubbing yourself against me.”
“How selfish of me to use your body for my own pleasure.”
He laughed, though it was a short, tight one. “Use me, baby.”
She kissed him and then worked a second finger into her tight canal. Her clit rubbed against the rigid muscles of his abs and the blazing sensations, along with the fire that flashed in his eyes, excited her even more.
“You want to fuck me, don’t you?”
His jaw set. “I want you dripping wet and in desperate need of me.”
“I am always in desperate need of you.”
“Then let me make love to you.”
“Soon,” she whispered. Her breathing picked up as she continued to rock against his hard body and finger her pussy. A tremor ran through her body. “Just being so close to you—just thinking about you—gets me going. I want you more than you can imagine.”
“So do something about it.”
“Patience, my king,” she whispered, sensing how desperately he wanted her.