by Cassie Ryan
“Then why tell me in the first pl—”
He cut off her question with an impatient wave. “You’re being called back. We will meet again.” He smiled. “I look forward to it.”
As if he’d suddenly let down the shield keeping his power in check, a neck-ruffling wave of energy flowed toward her, biting against her skin and making her cringe away.
A tugging sensation from deep inside her gut made her gasp as it slowly grew in intensity. At first she thought it was due to the sudden flash of Lucifer’s power, but then his words penetrated and she realized she was being pulled back to the human realm.
The urgency from within her memories came back to her with startling clarity. She cast about for some way to keep the memories that Lucifer had restored and said would soon fade when she returned to the human realm.
She closed her eyes and concentrated, chanting a mantra over and over under her breath as the tugging turned into a wrenching that threatened to pull her inside out.
Wave after wave crashed over her, battering her until she was certain she’d never survive the journey back.
Was this what birth and death felt like? If so, she was glad she’d been created rather than this chaos of pain and discomfort that held her in its grip now.
Time lost all meaning as pain turned into agony and became her entire world. She clenched her fists, the slight pinch from her nails biting into her palms almost a relief next to the other sensations tearing through her. Through it all she continued to chant, holding on to the tendrils of memories that tried to fade into the abyss.
When the sensations finally receded, she immediately wished for the wrenching to return. The sudden absence of agony was such a shock to her system, she wasn’t sure she would survive it.
Shivers wracked her body, and she felt as if her core had been turned into ice. Every body part felt numb and achy, as if it might no longer be attached and functioning.
Distantly she became aware that arms held her and cold, naked skin pressed against hers. The unknown presence rocked her slowly as hands chafed her arms and legs, which slowly brought some semblance of warmth back to the surface, and along with it prickles of pain and awareness.
Slow chanting filled her ears, but she couldn’t make out the words and wished they would stop. They were an annoying buzz that only added to the cacophony of sensations assaulting her overtaxed system. But somehow she knew they couldn’t stop, and she resigned herself to the monotonous noise.
“Amalya?” Levi’s voice sounded softly next to her right ear making her realize Jethro must be the second body she felt on her left. His voice held a thread of concern as well as relief and she sent a quick prayer of thanks that both men seemed to be safe.
She nodded in answer to his question, rocking harder in their grip, unable to answer as the chanting slowly crystallized inside her mind.
Four succubi must stop horsemen to save all.
Four succubi must stop horsemen to save all.
Four succubi must stop horsemen to save all.
As soon as those eight words seeped inside her consciousness, she realized it was her own voice she heard all around her.
She stiffened as a hard stab of premonition pierced deep.
Something tickled at the edge of her consciousness but stubbornly remained just out of her reach. She sucked in a large breath and willed herself to stop speaking.
After several more repetitions, the words died away and the sudden quiet in the room was nearly deafening inside Amalya’s pounding head. Her tongue was dry and tired as if she’d been saying those words over and over for quite some time.
She tried to remember what happened or even how she’d ended up here between Levi and Jethro feeling as if she’d been trampled by a herd of angry elephants, but a thick haze of lethargy lay over her mind edging her toward sleep. “So tired,” she pushed out through chapped lips before she closed her eyes and gave herself up to the darkness.
7
Amalya woke to find herself warm but very weak. She was draped against a hard male chest, an exotic musky scent filling her senses, while hot water lapped gently against her lower back.
Levi.
She was in a bathtub straddled across Levi.
If she had any energy at all she would’ve stiffened and pulled away purely on principle. She still hadn’t forgiven either man for lying to her, regardless that they’d obviously saved her from the shades.
“Amalya?”
She tried to raise her head, to hold on to some semblance of her pride, but her skin and even her hair ached—a definite sign that she needed energy. Now. And from the very hard cock that lay trapped against her stomach, he could definitely provide it.
Instinctively, as if sensing sustenance nearby, slick moisture formed between her labia as her clit hardened, pressing against the hard male body she straddled. Her nipples budded into tight peaks where they were pressed against him and her pussy throbbed in anticipation and need.
She sucked in a breath as she gathered the strength to speak. “Need you. Inside me.”
Levi gently raised her head until their gazes met, the green flecks in his dark hazel eyes mesmerizing her. His dark hair had fallen down onto his brow and she was glad she could barely move because the urge to touch the lush softness and brush it back off his forehead was strong.
The energy aura that surrounded him was still a pulsing mist of white but weaker than she’d seen it last. He still hadn’t fully recovered from his own bout with the shades, not to mention whatever he’d done while she’d been unconscious.
And even worse—she was relieved to see him.
“Are you sure?” Concern laced his voice and impatience and irritation snapped through her.
She wanted to scream at him, and although the urge pricked at her, she bit it back, not willing to waste her energy.
Now he chose to ask her opinion when she could barely move? When she’d been quite healthy back at Sinner’s Redemption, he’d thought nothing of tricking her into sex. But now that she needed it, he’d turned chivalrous?
Men!
He bit back a grim smile and then nodded as if he’d heard her unspoken thoughts. He leaned forward to kiss her.
Amalya jerked away from him, nearly falling backward into the water.
Kissing was an intimate act, and after cheapening everything a bath had previously meant to her, she wasn’t ready to give him that much, even if it would help restore some of her energy. “Inside. Only.”
A small muscle ticked in Levi’s jaw as first shock and then anger flowed across his handsome features. He met her gaze and then nodded in a quick, curt motion.
He settled her against him again so her cheek lay flat against his chest. Something hard and metal pressed between them and she realized it was the medallion he’d received from Lilith. Most likely that’s what kept her from taking too much energy from him—although it would serve him right at this point if she drained him dry.
She tried to feel bad over the vindictive thought but couldn’t quite bring herself to. Betrayal still burned just under her anger, which made it unlikely to heal quickly, even with his current bout of chivalrous, though misplaced, intentions.
One large hand cupped her ass and lifted her until she felt the head of his cock nudge between her thighs. She tried to wriggle, impatient to have him inside her, but her body refused to respond and instead she had to wait as Levi slowly lowered her onto his thick shaft.
He held her firmly, giving her body plenty of time to adjust to him.
She sighed as she stretched to accept him, the slow, torturous sensation of his cock sliding inside her like small electric shocks inside her system. His energy thrummed against her skin, beckoning to her as her own slick moisture coated him until he filled her and they sat pelvis to pelvis. The head of his cock pressed firmly against her cervix, sending tiny bursts of arousal through her with each breath.
She found the energy to shift her hips, taking him even deeper and making them b
oth gasp.
Levi’s strong hands closed around her hips, holding her in place for a long moment while he sucked in large, deep breaths.
Good, she wasn’t the only one so affected by this arrangement.
There was something decidedly erotic about him taking her when she couldn’t move or help—something similar to being tied up while a lover pleasured her. Of course, Levi wasn’t her lover, she reminded herself forcefully. He was a means to an end, a client who had paid well at Sinner’s Redemption and a man who would help her and Jethro make it safely to Lilith’s lair.
Several long seconds later, Levi blew out a long, slow breath before he used his grip on her hips to grind her against him, ripping a moan from her throat and coaxing the first hot drop of pre-come from Levi.
As the life-giving essence hit her internal walls, a small explosion of energy surged through Amalya as her body greedily absorbed what was offered and converted it to usable energy inside her.
Levi slowly lifted her, sliding his cock nearly out of her before impaling her again in a slow, torturous movement that made Amalya whimper with impatience.
“Relax, my beauty. Let me pleasure you.” His deep voice feathered against her like a dark caress, making her shiver.
Damn it! She wanted him fast and hard. She wanted him to come inside her and replenish her energy so she could regain the distance between them that her anger and hurt demanded.
Instead, Levi touched her tenderly, as if she were precious, drawing out her pleasure, and his own, while giving her the energy she both craved and needed.
After several minutes of the exquisite, slow torture at Levi’s set pace, Amalya’s body began to slowly respond to her wishes and she was able to sit up on her own. She anchored her hands on Levi’s shoulders as she began to set her own pace.
However, when she began to move, rather than the quick, frenzied passion she thought she wanted, she kept the torturous slow pace he’d begun as she met and held Levi’s dark gaze.
He watched her, his gaze burning into hers as if he memorized every second.
The intimacy of the gaze pierced her deep and she mentally set space between them. She closed her eyes, her work persona clicking into place as she remained impassive and apart from him. She leaned back, lifting her wet hands to her breasts, tweaking her aching nipples as she rode Levi’s cock.
He was just a means to an end. She needed his come and that was all.
She repeated those two sentences like a mantra.
He hadn’t earned anything else.
Her gift tried to tell her the lie of her own thoughts, but she shoved it aside.
“I’m not your bloody blow-up doll.” The anger vibrating in his voice bit against her skin like an accusation, but she ignored him and continued to ride.
One strong arm came around her, pulling her close and tipping her against him. In a quick move, he pushed up and stood, lifting her, still impaled on his hard cock, and forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist for balance. Dripping water across the floor, he walked into the bedroom and then gently but firmly laid her on the bed, pinning her under his weight.
Amalya began to protest, but then he thrust hard inside her ripping a gasp from her throat as searing arousal shot through her, scattering her thoughts.
That first hard thrust was followed by another and another until Levi was pistoning inside her, causing a cascade of sensations to explode through her and swell into a growing maelstrom.
Through her haze of arousal, a single coherent thought found its way through. He was using her as she’d tried to use him mere moments ago—as a means to an end.
Amalya’s anger stirred, feeding the growing pleasure that churned inside her ever tighter. She should be happy that he’d decided to keep his emotional distance as she’d dictated, but emotions and logic rarely saw eye to eye.
Amalya had spent millennia keeping distance, and she’d match her experience against Levi’s any day. If he wanted to play, she was more than ready.
She tightened her grip on his shoulders, digging her nails in deep and enjoying the way his cock hardened even further inside her. More pre-come hit her internal walls and her body greedily absorbed it, sending an explosion of exquisite sensations through her while Levi continued to thrust inside her.
When her vision cleared, she opened her eyes to find Levi’s eyes closed, his expression closed off as if he were masturbating.
Irritation snapped through her and she shoved the sensation away, forcefully reminding herself that this was what she wanted. A devious desire for revenge snaked through her and she smiled to herself as she widened her thighs, welcoming him deeper.
His gasp and sudden moan sent satisfaction spiraling through her.
So, the man isn’t granite after all.
Levi increased his speed, driving into her so hard that any human woman would be bruised and sore afterward. Instead, Amalya tightened her inner muscles around him, enjoying the slap of his testicles against her sensitive slit as he pounded into her. The scent of their combined arousal perfumed the air, a sweet musk that both teased and beckoned.
Just as Amalya neared her own orgasm, Levi’s movements became frenzied and urgent, his harsh breath chuffing out as if he’d just run a marathon and he was eager to cross the finish line.
Anticipation of both her release and needed sustenance spread through her and she dug her fingernails into his shoulders again, holding on as if he could anchor her to the earth.
The extra friction met his hard cock and Levi cried out, stiffening over her as his hot seed spurted inside her.
Amalya’s body greedily absorbed Levi’s essence sending her over the edge with her own orgasm and also igniting dozens of white-hot explosions inside her.
Her vision flashed with white stars, and waves of pleasure crashed over her until she thought she would drown.
Finally her screaming lungs reminded her to suck in a much-needed breath and she blinked open her eyes as Levi pulled out of her and turned away from the bed.
He swallowed hard before speaking over his shoulder. “You’ve had your sustenance now, love. Jethro is downstairs if you fancy a more leisurely fuck or even a meal.”
His words were calm, but Amalya could sense the thin thread of anger that rode just under them.
She lay on the bed, her thighs still spread and the moisture from her arousal and orgasm still wet against her inner thighs as he walked out the door without looking back.
Guilt wormed its way deep into her gut as she realized how she’d treated Levi, but she shoved it back. It was about time he realized how it felt to be on the other end of such treatment. She refused to let his little exercise in guilt and shame bother her. After all, she hadn’t asked him to come on this trip and provide for her. She and Jethro would’ve made it to Lilith’s lair fine on their own.
They didn’t need Levi and his overblown ego.
Liar! her internal voice mocked her once again.
She shoved it aside, unwilling to entertain for even a moment that Levi’s heavy-handed ways were a necessary evil to get her to Lilith’s lair safely.
She pushed up to sitting, surprised to find herself still weak, although being able to move was a huge improvement. The walk to the bathroom was stilted and slow, but she managed it and then sank down on the toilet to clean up. Long after she was finished, she sat as weariness closed over her like a heavy blanket.
She had energy but could use more, not to mention food, water, and sleep.
Finally when her legs began to fall asleep, she forced herself to stand and venture back inside the bedroom where her clothes lay on an armchair. It took all her willpower to pick up each garment and slip it on, and in the end, she decided to go barefoot rather than spend the extra effort to put on her shoes.
If Levi thought she would beg for his help again, he would be disappointed. Instead, she concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other until she found the main staircase where she was forced to sit down on the top st
air to rest and recover from the exertion of dressing and making it this far.
Levi’s come had brought her back from the brink of death, and she couldn’t help but be grateful for that. But she’d saved his life first, so now she supposed they were even.
“That doesn’t give him the right to be a haughty bastard,” she muttered under her breath as frustration and irritation swirled through her.
She thought about calling for Jethro to ask for his help making it down the stairs, but she refused to give Levi the satisfaction of seeing her ask for help from anyone. Instead, she stretched her legs until her feet hung over the step below her. Then she scooted her ass forward until her feet landed on the step two below her and she could lower herself down one step.
It took her nearly twenty minutes of slow scooting and lowering to finally reach the bottom of the long stairway, especially since she was forced to stop frequently to rest and recover her strength. She tried to make as little noise as possible and was grateful when neither of the men came to investigate.
She leaned against the banister, her strength entirely gone. Her eyelids were heavy and a long sleep sounded like a very good idea even though her stomach rumbled reminding her that she also needed food and water to help her recover.
But in the end, the lethargy that stole over her won out and she turned sideways on the bottom stair, resting her back against the side banister and stretching out her legs across the bottom step as she resigned herself to a quick power nap here on the cold hardwood.
8
Levi walked away from Amalya with anger churning inside him like a volcano ready to erupt. He had been surprised and angry when Amalya had shied away from his kiss in the tub. She couldn’t still be upset about him not telling her who he was up front, could she?
He shook his head, dismissing the thought. She was an intelligent being and surely she’d reconciled herself to the necessity of that before now. After all, if she hadn’t been at better than full strength, she might well have not survived the run-in with the shades.