by Bella Klaus
“Magic.” His eyes sparkled, and his full lips spread into a smile of dazzling white teeth.
All questions about whether our surroundings were real or an illusion melted away as his lips descended on mine. I should have felt anxiety or trepidation or terror at his power, but the moment felt perfect.
Nothing else mattered except for the man who was about to give me the most perfect moment of my life.
He kissed a slow path down my neck, over my collarbone, each press of his lips against my fevered flesh stoking the furnace between my legs. How far would he go? I was desperate for more. When he engulfed my nipple in his hot mouth, I wrapped my legs around his hips and ground against his erection.
“I’m going to bury my face between your legs,” he said around his mouthful.
A thrill of excitement settled within my core. “Really?”
“Would you like that?” His fingers slid down my ribcage, and he held me by the hips. “I’ll eat your pussy and make you come apart.”
My eyes bulged, and my breath quickened. I laced my fingers through his dark hair. “What?”
“Then I’ll slide my cock into your tight little cunt and pound into you until you see stars.”
A whimper reverberated in the back of my throat. I couldn’t get enough of this man, and I wanted him to do all those things to me and more. “Please,” I whispered. “Now.”
“By the time I’ve finished with you, you won’t even know your name.” His kisses became more urgent, interspersed with licks and sucks and nips.
Heat pooled low in my belly, rising in temperature as he kissed lower and lower until he positioned himself between my spread legs.
I sucked in a deep breath, my pulse thumping hard enough to make my body tremble. Any trace of self-consciousness evaporated under the heat of his gaze. Everything about this man said I could trust him… At least to give me the pleasure he’d promised.
He parted my sex with his fingers, his hot breath fanning against my slick folds. “You’re so wet for me,” he snarled. “So unbelievably beautiful.”
“Ah…” I shuddered with an explosion of yearning that threatened to burn me from the inside out.
The first flick of his tongue on my throbbing clit sent a lighting storm of ecstasy through my insides. I arched my back and cried out for more.
“You taste so good,” he moaned between my folds, sending ripples of sensation through my core.
I was glad to be lying down because my knees trembled at the touch of his tongue. He continued pleasuring me, running circles over my aching clit. I trembled beneath him, helpless under his relentless onslaught of pleasure.
His pleasured moan reverberated across my sex, turning me into a puddle of need. With each rotation of his tongue, each flick, he drove me to further and further heights. It was like standing on the edge of the heavens and not knowing when I would fall.
He entered me with a thick finger, sliding it all the way to the last knuckle. I twitched and spasmed around his digit, needing it to move. “You’re so tight around my finger.”
As he continued to bestow my clit with open-mouthed kisses, and rapid flicks of his tongue, he pumped in and out of me with one hand and held me down with the other.
“Your pussy tastes so good,” he growled between licks. “I can’t wait to split you open with my cock.”
Pleasure built and built, and my body hummed with electricity. I rolled my eyes to the back of my head, losing myself to his ministrations. Blood roared between my ears, and the pulse between my legs quickened.
“Cum for me,” he growled. “I want to see you shatter.”
Something within me snapped, unleashing a torrent of pleasure that set my skin alight. Lightning flashed behind my eyes, silver forks that filled my vision with afterimages of white. He continued pumping in and out of me, pushing me to further heights.
A scream tore from my lips as the sensations overwhelmed my senses—it was like tumbling through the sky in an unending free-fall, with every part of me breaking into tiny pieces. I was no longer the dying girl desperate for excitement. I was a woman about to make love with the most beautiful man in the world.
He drew back from between my legs, his eyes ablaze. “Now, I’m going to slide my cock into your slick heat.”
“Please.” I stretched out my arms, beckoning him to come closer. He leaned over me, placing a soft kiss on my lips that tasted of my essence, and he lined himself against my opening.
As he pushed into me, he growled into the kiss and shuddered. “You’re so fucking delicious.”
My breath caught. It was the briefest moment of pain, followed by a torrent of pleasure as he filled me, inch by gorgeous inch, with his thick and pulsing length. It took forever, as though he was memorizing every passing second, and he stared into my eyes with an intensity that touched my soul.
The stretch was incredible, and I quivered and pulsed around him, my muscles adjusting to his girth.
When it felt like he could go no further, he paused above me, resting his weight on his forearms. “Are you ready?”
“Hades,” a woman’s voice shrieked, “what the bloody hell are you doing in my bed?”
Her shrill voice sliced through the haze of pleasure, and my gaze snapped to the end of the four-poster, where the Fire Queen stood, her cheeks flushed. Behind her stood the Vampire King, his face a rictus of fury, exposing sharp white fangs.
“Wait.” My gaze snapped to the man inside me. “What did she just call you?”
A trace of regret crossed his features as he pulled out of me with a sigh. “Hades.”
He disappeared from on top of me and reappeared at the foot of the four-poster, naked except for a pair of black wings.
I scrambled up, a cold fist of terror seizing my heart in a punishing grip.
This was no light mage dressed up as Hades. This was the Demon King himself, one of the eight rulers of Logris.
A scream caught in the back of my throat.
I’d just had sex with the devil.
Chapter Five
I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but sit within the confines of the four-poster bed and clutch a sheet to my naked chest.
There was no word to describe the depth of the trouble I’d gotten myself into. I was beyond screwed.
My gaze fixed on the wings flaring out from the Demon King’s broad back. Their black feathers glinted in the light of the bedroom’s chandelier, illuminating each fiber like they were made of black diamonds. They rustled the way male birds did in nature shows when about to fight.
“You’ve gone too far, this time.” The vampire stalked into the bedroom, his eyes glowing as red as freshly spilled blood. Waves of icy terror crashed through my insides. That was one of the Compendium’s documented signs of blood lust. I clutched at my chest and moaned. This was going to be a bloodbath.
“Cock-blocking again, King Valentine?” the Demon King drawled. “One would think you wanted me for yourself.”
The Vampire King released a snarl that made every fine hair on my body stand on end.
“You’ve defiled our bedroom,” the Vampire King snarled from between clenched teeth.
The Fire Queen stepped between the large men, her red hair glowing bright with the force of her anger. She was tiny compared to them, even more furious than her husband, and seemed to struggle to keep her eyes off the huge erection.
“Hades,” she snapped. “Of all the stunts you’ve pulled, this has to be one of the worst.”
“I don’t know about that,” the Demon King drawled. “The one where I spirited you to Hell and tied you to a bed was rather thrilling.”
My stomach heaved. Abduction? Hell? Bondage? What on earth had I gotten myself into and how?
The queen raised a hand and threw a ball of fire at the Demon King.
Side-stepping, he mimed a yawn. “Jealous, Fire Queen? You had your chance with me and now I’ve moved on to a new obsession.”
I swallowed hard
, trying not to throw up at the implication that I was his new target. Blood roared through my ears, and my pulse pounded loud enough to muffle the sounds of their argument.
How on earth had I not known? The Demon King had gone to a fancy dress party disguised as… himself. How did that phrase go? Hiding in plain sight? Everything made sense. The Vampire King was dressed as Dracula, and the Fire Queen looked like a woman in flames. Why hadn’t I pieced it together before then?
The Vampire King stepped in front of his wife and swept out an arm, sending a wave of power across the room. Hades disappeared from the right side of the bed and reappeared in front of the Vampire King.
“Reckless as usual, King Valentine,” he drawled. “Surely an imbecile like you would refrain from attacking while there are ladies present?”
The Vampire King turned to me, his red eyes shining with regret. My stomach dropped. If an unholy blood-sucking creature felt pity for me, then Hades had to be the worst kind of demon. Before I could scramble under the covers and hide, King Valentine rushed at Hades, knocking them both out of the window with an almighty smash.
Shock barreled through my gut, and a scream tore from my lips.
They both floated outside—Hades on his black wings, and the Vampire King suspending himself in midair as they exchanged heavy blows. I clapped both hands over my mouth. What on earth was happening?
The Fire Queen rushed toward me, barely spared the fighting men a glance. “Are you alright?”
I shook my head. “What’s happening?”
Her nostrils flared, and her blue eyes blazed hotter than flames. “Hades is the worst kind of womanizer. If we had known he was coming, we would have stationed a few chaperones.”
“But is he really the Demon King?” I whispered.
The Fire Queen nodded. “Unfortunately. Did he introduce himself as anything else?”
Prickly heat spread across my cheeks and down my neck. I bit down on my bottom lip and clutched at the sheet. “I thought he was a light mage at first, but later he said I should call him Hades, and I didn’t believe—”
The air shook with an almighty roar, and I choked on my words. An overwhelming scent of brimstone filled my nostrils. I turned to the window, where Hades was no longer naked but wearing red armor and throwing a lasso of hellfire around the Vampire King.
Cold realization slammed into my gut. I turned to the other woman, my eyes wide. “I’ve just had sex with a demon. Am I cursed? Does it mean he owns my soul?”
“Not if I can help it.” She stepped back from the bed and glanced around the floor before picking up my dress. “Valentine will keep him distracted while you leave the palace. That’s what you want, right?”
I gave the queen an eager nod. “Please… And I’m sorry to have used your bed.”
She shook her head and offered me a warm smile that only melted away the outer edge of my terror. “You weren’t to know. Dress quickly, and our butler will make sure you get home.”
The Fire Queen turned her gaze toward the broken window and folded her arms across her chest as she watched her new husband fighting the Demon King.
With hands that wouldn’t stop trembling, I slipped my dress over my head and then swung my legs off the bed. Broken glass lay strewn across the floor, and I cringed at the thought of cutting myself in a palace full of vampires.
“Um…” I chewed on the inside of my cheek.
The queen turned around, her brows raised. “Are you ready to leave?”
“I came here with a friend, but she’s in the cattery.”
“Damisa’s here?” the queen asked.
My mouth dropped open. How on earth did someone so high and mighty know the name of a cat shifter who worked in a coffee shop? Dami said her mate was friends with the queen, but I’d thought that was an exaggeration. I shook off the question and focused on what was really important: getting the hell out of here before the Demon King noticed I was gone.
After slipping on my sandals, I rushed to the door, just as the largest ball of fire exploded across a courtyard, setting the Vampire King’s cloak on fire.
The same butler from before waited outside the room, his lips pursed with disapproval. He held Dami’s duffle bag in one hand, and the scroll she’d stolen from the doorstep in the other. “Lady Olympia has been informed that a young lady impersonating her appeared on the palace doorstep.”
My stomach plummeted, and I clapped both hands over my mouth. “She’s going to kill me.”
His eyes softened. “Unfortunately, it’s standard security protocol.”
Another door within the hallway opened, and Dami sped out, her eyes wide. “Kora?”
I rushed into my best friend’s arms. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
She drew back, her gaze scanning me from my disheveled hair down to my poorly fastened sandals. “What’s happened?”
“This way,” said the butler.
As we followed the butler down the hallway, I told her everything that had happened since we had met the demon twins who had disguised themselves as handsome princes.
“Sorry.” Dami rubbed the back of her neck and cringed. “This was your first time out in the real world, and I shouldn’t have danced with that guy.”
“What happened to you?”
She dipped her head. “He placed a hand over my mouth and carried me out of the ballroom.”
“Oh no!” I grabbed her shoulder. “How did you get away?”
“Macavity.” She flicked her head toward the top of the stairs.
I turned to meet the gaze of a leopard with eyes as green as vine leaves. He crouched on all fours, standing eerily still, looking like he was ready to pounce. My throat spasmed. In all my angst about having had sex with the Demon King, I hadn’t noticed we were being stalked by a predator the size of a small horse.
“Who’s that?” I whispered low enough not to draw the leopard’s attention, but its right ear twitched.
“My mate,” she said with a soft smile.
“Okay…” The last time I saw Dami, she had been lying in a gigantic four-poster being attended to by a tiny version of the beautiful monster.
Any other day, I would have asked how a house cat could shift into a gigantic leopard, but Dami’s mate was the least of my worries. I offered the huge feline a grateful smile and stretched out a hand. “You saved my friend. Thank you.”
Macavity bounded down the stairs and pushed his head beneath my hand. I gave him a quick rub between his ears, hoping I’d appeased him for interrupting his quality time with Dami. When the leopard rose to his full height, I pulled back my hand and turned to my best friend.
“Did that demon hurt you?” I asked.
Dami shook her head, and we continued following the butler down the hallway. “He didn’t get the chance,” she murmured. “Not when Macavity came after him with his claws. I expect the bastard has returned to Hell or wherever he came from to check his wounds.”
We reached the grand entrance, where the same guards from before stood by the doors, each of them casting us filthy glowers. Dami and I huddled together, neither of us daring to look them in the eye after calling them all those names. It turned out that they’d been right about little girls venturing into places they weren’t invited.
“Was it worth it?” the bushy browed guard asked with a sneer.
“There’s no need to be such a dick,” I snapped. Normally, I wouldn’t be so rude, but nothing this guard could do or say to me could match Mother’s punishments.
The butler gestured for them to open the door, letting in a swirl of cool air carrying the scent of freshly cut grass. Outside, the sky was brighter than before, a deep indigo that brought out the brilliance in the stars. The same silver Überwald from before waited on the other side of the courtyard among the limousines. When the butler raised his hand, the vehicle crawled forward.
I turned to the older man and swallowed. “Did my mother sound furious when you spoke to her?”
The corners of
his lips pulled into a grimace. “I expect she will be relieved to see you return home safe and sound.”
My stomach tightened. I didn’t need to be a forensic psychologist to know that Mother had raged at him on the phone. Now, she was going to keep me locked up until I finally succumbed to my corporality sickness.
We stepped inside and settled into the leather seats.
Dami squeezed my hand. “I was so worried that his twin brother was also a psycho. I wanted to come to you right away, but Macavity wouldn’t let me out of his sight, so I told one of the guards as we passed that you were in danger.”
“It’s alright.” I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Mother taught me the basics of self-defense when I was little. And Hades took me away before the demon could retaliate.”
The car drove out from the courtyard down the palace’s tree-lined driveway. Just outside the palace gates, the road forked into two directions. One that led to a busy London highway, and the other that seemed to shimmer. He drove down the second option and descended a ramp that led to an underground road.
“So…” Dami peered up at me through her lashes. “Hades?”
I flopped forward in my seat and groaned. “Who goes to a fancy dress party as himself?”
“What did he look like beneath his glamor?”
“Exactly the same but without the fiery cloak,” I muttered.
“Wow,” she said, her voice breathy. “Was he good in bed?”
Heat rose to my cheeks. “Dami, he’s the Demon King!”
“That doesn’t mean he can’t shag.” She gave me a nudge in the arm. “Come on. Give a girl a few juicy details.”
“Alright,” I snapped. “He was the most beautiful man I’d ever encountered and gave me more pleasure than I could have imagined. Tonight was exhilarating, but that doesn’t mean I want to be associated with a demon.”
“Why not?” she asked.
I turned to meet her fierce green eyes. Dami looked offended, and I didn’t know why. A demon with sharp teeth tried to abduct her tonight, and she would have suffered a painful death if her mate hadn’t sensed that she was in danger and come to the rescue.