The Fallen Queen: (Gods & Monsters Book 2) (The Gods & Monsters Trilogy)

by Janie Marie

  “She’s been working for someone,” Asmodeus said. “She bewitched your brother long before he came to ask you to spare her. When you took her, Pestilence was upset, but he accepted you did not spare anyone. His bond with you overcame her charms, so he didn’t do more. That all changed when he learned you had your own human. It caused him to seek out his siren in the Underworld. Then she, under orders, tempted him into taking revenge on you by unleashing this plague. What they promised your brother, I am unsure, but he took their offer and released it. We believe there is more involved regarding the Cursed and Fallen, but I’m afraid only he knows.”

  “There is something else you can offer to spare yourselves?” Death asked.

  The third demon smiled. “We can free him of his enchantment.”

  “Spit it out, Sonneillon,” Death snapped. He was growing more furious about his brother’s involvement and the fact he was to blame.

  “Very well,” said Sonneillon. “As Asmodeus and Succorbenoth have pointed out, your brother has been seduced by lust and seeks revenge . . . He is filled with hate and is blinded by jealousy. You know we rule over those emotions and desires. Obviously, our offer is to take back what we were ordered to introduce to him.”

  Before Jane even opened her eyes, she knew where she was and whom she was with. David. His hard body and scent gave him away, but it was the position they were in that had her mind spinning.

  She felt her cheeks heating as she fully appreciated how he held her. She was straddling him, of course. He had one hand resting on the back of her thigh while the other was lying on her back.

  “I didn’t put you on me, if you’re worried about that.” David’s sleepy voice startled her, making her jump.

  “Dammit, David! You scared the crap out of me!”

  He laughed, hugging her. The hand on her thigh stayed put and squeezed her before gliding along her exposed skin.

  Oh, Jesus! Do I really have to notice these things?

  “I’m sorry, baby,” he mumbled, kissing her head. “I only thought I’d point out my innocence before you began wondering if I had taken advantage of you.”

  Jane grinned, enjoying that he sounded happy. “I know you wouldn’t take advantage of me.”

  “Really?” he asked as his thumb rubbed back and forth along her thigh.

  It distracted her a little, and she forgot what they were talking about, so she just said the first thing that came to her mind. “No?”

  David’s hand stopped moving. “No?”

  Shit, should I have said yes?

  She tried to save herself. “Um, I mean yes.”

  He rubbed her back and laughed. “You don’t remember what we were talking about, do you?”

  “Shut up,” she muttered.

  He laughed again. “All right, I apologize. I was only curious why you knew that I wouldn’t take advantage of you. I very much desire to take advantage of you.”

  “Oh.” She felt her body warming up again.

  “I won’t,” he added. “But you do make it difficult at times.”

  “How?”

  Her head bounced on his chest as he chuckled.

  “Well, for starters, the position you are in right now I did not put you in.”

  Jane lifted her head. She looked at him before glancing down at her ridiculous situation. She could feel him watching her, so she finally looked back up, putting her chin on his chest to attempt some sort of casualness. “I don’t know what you mean. I know I didn’t fall asleep in here. You obviously started this.”

  His eyes were wide as he stared down at her.

  “Anyway,” she added, “I always sleep on the edge of the bed.”

  “You do not!” He pointed to the side of his bed. “I put you on the edge when I brought you back in here. I was trying to be a gentleman and not alarm you, but almost immediately, you crawled over here and climbed on top of me.”

  Jane kept her face blank; which seemed to make David grow more defensive.

  “I swear, Jane. I even tried to push you away, but you dug your nails into me. You were like a kitten, refusing to let go. You even growled.”

  She almost laughed at that one, but she was having too much fun watching him grow hysterical. “I don’t believe that.”

  David looked back with shock. “I am not making this up. I was worried about you; I did not want you to stay alone, so I went to ask you to come back, but you were already asleep. So, I brought you in here since I knew you did not wish to be in that room. I expected you to stay asleep, but you would not leave me alone. So, I finally let you do what you wanted. You got on me, and only then did you stay still.”

  Jane couldn’t help it anymore. She started laughing.

  David watched her for a moment before finally glaring at her. “That was not funny, Jane.”

  She let out a giggle and nodded. “Yes, it was.”

  He growled and looked away. “Just like a cat. Scratch a man up and then rub all over him like you are an innocent creature.”

  “Aww,” she cooed. “Did little ole me hurt the big bad David?”

  He kept his irritated look and stared her down. “Stop it.”

  Jane smiled and reached up to pinch his cheek. “Is David upset with his kitty?”

  He let go of her leg and grabbed her hand off his cheek. “Quit it.”

  Jane just laughed at his pouty face.

  He gave her an annoyed look. “But admit it again, you are my kitty.”

  She laughed louder, and he finally chuckled.

  “Do you believe me, then?” He caressed her cheek. “I wasn’t taking advantage of you.”

  “I believe you. I know you wouldn’t do that.”

  “Are you my kitty?” His smile was so damn beautiful.

  “Only if you’re not mad at me,” she said, a little stunned with the way he was looking at her.

  “Mad at you? What for?”

  She frowned. “Because of everything I did. With the other vampires, Artemis, and then trying to force you on me.”

  He caressed her cheek. “I am not mad, Jane. I think your reactions were to be expected under the circumstances down there. I don’t think you wished to hurt anyone, but you were attacked—you defended yourself by allowing your instincts to come forward.” With a smile, he rubbed her lip. “As far as forcing yourself on me—I think it would be impossible for me to be angry about that. I want nothing more than to have that type of relationship with you, but I do not want you to regret starting one with me because you are only seeking comfort. I will always do my best to comfort you, but I will not take advantage of your sadness.”

  Jane pushed herself close and kissed his cheek. “I’m your kitty, David.”

  He sighed, turning his face to kiss her forehead. “You are doing it again.”

  Jane leaned away. “Doing what?”

  “You’re making it difficult not to take advantage of you.” His gaze fell to her lips before drifting down to where her breasts were pressed against his chest.

  “Oh.” She shook her head as she also looked at their position. “I like this, though. Sometimes I wish I could just lie here with you and forget everything else.”

  His finger slid under her chin, and he tilted her face up so their eyes would meet. “I wish that, too, baby. But unless you want to take our relationship to the next step and end things with Jason, we need to try harder to fight our desires for one another.” He squeezed her thigh. “I truly wish we were ready, but I do not think now is the time. It would be unfair to ask you to choose such a thing with everything happening.”

  She nodded quickly and began to climb off him, but he pulled her back.

  “We can wait a few more minutes, if you like.”

  “You don’t mind?” she asked quietly, fearing rejection again.

  “Baby, I told you I want everything with you—no, I don’t mind.” He slid his finger over her lips, down her chin before he trailed a fiery path along her jaw. “I could stare at you all day—touch you every seco
nd.”

  Jane blew out a shaky breath and lowered her head back to his chest.

  He continued caressing her cheek and occasionally running his fingers through her hair.

  She sighed and stared off to the opposite wall. Her thoughts did what they did best: analyzed and insulted her about every little thing. She should be worrying about Jason and Death. Clearly, Jason wasn’t expecting her to be in David’s arms, trying to kiss him, and Death . . . So much needed to be addressed with him. Her love life should be irrelevant, right? But she couldn’t help but think about being closer to David. What would Jason say to her? What would Death think? She didn’t know what he expected; he never told her much. Was David right? Was it just not the right time? Was she a terrible person for focusing on him more than worrying about her family and the end of the world?

  “Are you all right, Jane?” he asked, silencing her inner debate.

  She jumped a little but relaxed when he lowered his hand and rubbed her back.

  “I’m just thinking.”

  “Mm.” He hummed as if he understood. “Do you want to talk about anything?”

  She thought over trying to talk about her feelings toward him, but she knew she couldn’t. So, instead of acknowledging there may be more to her feelings with him than she could afford to have, she asked the first random question she could think of. “Did I really growl at you?”

  He chuckled and began massaging her leg. She figured he didn’t realize what he was doing. But she sure as hell did.

  “Yes, it was cute,” he said.

  “Cute?”

  “Very. You looked like a newborn kitten. You wobbled as though you had never crawled a day in your life, but you were determined, and you made it on top of me despite my attempts to coax you back to your spot. Your growls were adorable, even if I know you are a deadly predator.” He laughed. “Still, I knew not to anger you, so I let you do as you wished. Once you seemed comfortable, you fell into a deep sleep again.”

  Jane could tell he really enjoyed watching her make a fool of herself, but she didn’t care all that much. She liked hearing him sound happy from something she did. “Well, you are comfy.” She nuzzled his chest, breathing in deeply. “I really could stay like this for at least half the day.”

  “One day, baby.”

  She smiled and closed her eyes. “You say one day, but do you really think that?”

  “I hope—that is all, Jane.”

  “What if I never choose? What if things never seem right? Would you want to . . .”

  “Don’t even ask if I would pick another,” he said firmly. “Jane, you are it for me. If a few minutes of this a day is all I’ll ever get from you, then I will look forward to those few minutes each day.”

  “But it isn’t fair to you. Don’t you want to be happy?”

  “I am happy,” he said instantly. “Every second by your side—simply knowing I found you—makes me the happiest I have ever felt. I love you. I cannot imagine my life with another woman. You’re my angel. My Jane.” He rubbed the tear that suddenly appeared under her eye. “Shh . . .”

  She hated that she was always crying, but he said the sweetest things, and she was just so angry that she couldn’t return his feelings the way he deserved to have them. He was right, though—there was too much going on, and she was not in the right state of mind to end her relationships with Jason or Death. How could she tell Jason it was over after learning Death was about to destroy the world? She should be doing everything in her power to stop Death, keep her kids and Jason safe, and find out what exactly she is supposed to do to help the knights. Not worrying about David and her, or whether he would pick another woman. But she couldn’t even bear the thought of him being with another. It broke her heart at the faint possibility he would leave while at the same time knowing she was ruining the rest of his life.

  “It’s just that,” she started again. “If your Other was someone like Artemis or Melody, then you could be together and not have to put up with all my mess. The end of the world might really happen tomorrow, and you’re here with me. Don’t you want what the others have?”

  “I have that, Jane. I have the woman I love in my arms—and she’s safe.”

  Oh, God. He made her heart beat so fast. “But don’t you want to—you know—be with a woman?”

  “I want to be with you however I can be.”

  “David, I’m not stupid . . . Men need sex.” Her jaw clenched as a wave of clashing emotions assaulted her. “If I don’t give it to you, you will find it from someone else. That is how it works.”

  “Jane,” he said, his voice low, but she could hear the restraint he was using to not raise it. “That is not how it works. Males do desire to procreate, just as women do, but not all of us will go off to satisfy our primal urges.”

  “But you have them,” she said, trying to push her emotions down.

  “Yes, I have urges, Jane. I have them for you, though. I would not satisfy my desires for you with another or by any other means.”

  “You mean like—you won’t go watch anything to get you off, or have someone help you?”

  He was quiet for a long time, and she nearly cried thinking he would say that somehow those were exceptions.

  “Did Jason have an affair, Jane?”

  Her eyes watered, and she pressed her face against his chest. “Let’s stop talking about this,” she finally whispered, shaking as he began rubbing her back again. “And no—not really. I can’t talk about it.”

  “All right, my love.” He wiped her tears. “But I would not do that.” He took a deep breath, squeezing her gently. “The only temptation I will give into is the daydream of us together one day. That is the only urge I will give into: thinking about you, showing you every day how much I love you, and only you. If that is not something you can forgive me for, I will stop. But I will miss the thought that one day you and I will be together.”

  She smiled sadly as the image popped in her head, too. She pictured waking up with him, just like she did moments earlier, but kissing him, smiling, and laughing with him, having her kids there, him there to protect them from her and any threat that came close. She even caught a glimpse of them with a newborn, and her heart yearned for it to come true. “I don’t want you to stop . . . I want to dream about it, too.”

  “Come here,” he said, moving his hands so he could scoot her up a little more on him, then hugged her to him.

  She let him situate her so that her face was right next to his before leaning forward and kissing his cheek. “I saw it—us . . .” She kissed the same spot. “Please don’t give up on me.”

  “Never, baby,” he whispered, and she kissed his cheek again.

  For nearly ten minutes, David held her, letting her relax again as his mind began tormenting him with possibilities that Jason had hurt Jane in a way he did not think possible. Sure, he saw Jason’s gaze lingering on Melody, but he didn’t think anyone could stray from Jane. She clearly did everything she could to please Jason before coming here, and even now, she put Jason before her desires more times than he wished she would.

  “Mm . . .” She moaned before mumbling, “You smell so good.”

  David wasn’t sure if she was talking in her sleep, so he stayed quiet and still. Then she sniffed him.

  “I like this.” She let out a sexier, aroused moan. “You smell like home. I don’t even know what that means. Fuck.”

  He chuckled and mentally began counting how many hours had passed since she fed from him. “Are you all right?”

  “Fantastic. I love the way you feel. And smell. We fit together. Wow.”

  “I think you need to feed.” He shifted the hair away from her face. “Are you thirsty?”

  “Very.” She breathed in his scent. “Am I weirding you out?”

  He smiled and ran his hand through her hair. “You are amusing me, but I think you should feed now before it controls you.”

  “But don’t you need to drink first? I can wait . . . No, I can’t.
I’m so about to bite you.”

  David turned, kissing her forehead as he laughed again. “Go ahead, Jane. Your hunger is clearly reaching its limit. I feel fine. Do not worry about me.”

  “Thank you,” she said, immediately biting his neck. She took him by surprise even though he told her she could, and he gripped her thighs when she began to squeeze him.

  She pulled away abruptly, and he knew she hadn’t gotten enough as she pushed on his shoulders to hold herself up. Her lips were lined with his blood, and she licked them slowly.

  Fuck.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, swallowing because she looked so beautiful like this.

  She slid her hands to his chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to act like that.” She took a deep breath and he watched her trying to force her fangs to recede, but she couldn’t.

  “Don’t be sorry. Keep feeding, Jane.”

  Her eyes closed for a few seconds, and she whispered. “Say you’re my David.”

  He smiled, his hands sliding up and down her smooth thighs. “You know I am your David. Just like you are my Jane.”

  She nodded but kept her eyes shut. “I’m your Jane.”

  “Yes, you are, and you, my love, are also my hungry little vampire.”

  “I’m so hungry, David.” She opened her eyes, her fangs still pressing on her lip. She looked so innocent but deadly at the same time. “It almost hurts,” she added, moving a bit, and he realized what was wrong. Her hormones were driving her mad.

  “Drink, Jane. You will feel better.”

  “I don’t like having to take so much from you.”

  She was losing it. He needed to distract her. “You look pretty in my clothes.”

  Her gaze focused on him as though she were finally seeing him. “You’re distracting me.”

  He nodded, sliding his fingers along her legs. “Come here.”

  Not taking her eyes off his, she lowered her body. She kissed his neck then licked, sucking gently before biting him again. She was really trying to kill him now.

  David could feel his desire for her rising. She always had him turned on, but when she was pressed up on him like this and he could hear the amazing little noises that came out of her while she moved her body in ways he hadn’t had a woman show him, he was ready to toss aside their morals.