by R. Scarlett
She scanned his rigid form and shifted on her feet, biting her bottom lip. “Did you have feelings for her once, though? When you two were together?”
Tensley stared back at her, his mouth a firm, straight line. “No, Molly. Never. Demons don’t feel, we fuck.”
She cringed at that, and Tensley’s brows lowered. “What I mean is, it’s not natural for demons to have affectionate or loving thoughts. We’re built and conditioned to destroy, and it’s all I’ve ever known. Violence. Rage. Desire. That’s all.”
She placed her hands on her hips, trying to show confidence, but she didn’t feel it—not when they were discussing past lovers. “So you rejected her?”
“Yes!” he shouted, yanking a hand violently through his hair. “I’m going fucking insane not touching you,” he continued more softly, sounding troubled.
She blinked. “So then do something about it.”
Without a warning, Tensley slammed her into a wall and dove straight for her mouth, his tongue swiping hers gently at first, then savagely.
She moaned into the kiss, needy and desperate for more. Her hips worked of their own accord, grinding against his erection as his hands gripped her waist even tighter, fingers digging into her skin almost painfully, but she loved it. She wanted more.
“Remember,” he said breathlessly into her ear before nipping it. “You can’t break me. Just let go.”
She smiled as she dug her nails so deep into his flesh that he cried out. The thrill of being herself, of finally not holding back, made her giddy and drunk off a high of power, of strength and trust.
Molly licked his bottom lip slowly and drank him in, her eyes as hungry as his. “Maybe I want you to break me.”
A guttural hiss escaped his mouth. He bent, cupping her rear, and carried her over to the couch.
She could feel his hand pushing up under her skirt, and he grasped her bare flesh, squeezing her butt cheek so tightly. Each of those long fingers of his meshed with her own softer skin to make her nerves tingle. His other hand spread up underneath her blouse, over her stomach, palming a breast through her camisole and tweaking the right nipple.
“Oh god, Tensley,” she said into his mouth.
He lowered his lips to her throat and nipped at the pulsing vein there, continuing to grip her ass. One harsh slap and she gasped, jolting in his tight embrace. His erection poked at her panties and she couldn’t help but rock against him, feeling the ache grow between her legs.
“You want my cock inside you?” he asked, his words making her shiver against him.
“Please Tensley.”
His fingers swiped over her panties and met her arousal. “Fuck, Molly.” He stood and laid her across the couch, nestling himself between her thighs. He shouldered her thighs and gazed upon her panties covered in her lust. He slid a single finger down the wet spot and she groaned, arching her back. His other hand held her stomach down. “Ever had your pussy eaten, ciccia?”
She frantically shook her head as he continued trailing one finger between her legs at a torturously slow pace.
“Good. I want to be the first to taste you.” She didn’t need to see his face to know he was smiling. He hooked her panties with his index finger and slid them to the side, exposing her wet sex to him. His finger moved again, back and forth, making her even wetter. “Can you be quiet, dolcezza?”
“Hmm?”
“These walls are paper thin; I heard your neighbors fucking last time. I don’t want them to hear you. Your cries are only for me,” he said, frowning.
She nodded desperately. “Please,” she said breathily, stretching out, moving her pelvis toward him.
He chuckled. “You asked for it.” His dark head lowered between her thighs and she gasped at the first lick. It was slow and soft, stirring the heat within her belly. She pressed her palm to her head.
“You taste so sweet,” he said, voice dripping with desire. His licks grew deeper, and he slid a finger gently inside her.
Then the beast came out to play, and Tensley nipped, sucked, and licked her sex feverishly.
His teeth tugged gently at Molly’s clit and a tremor rolled down her spine to her curling toes. She gripped his hair, pulling, yanking, unable to stop herself from crying out.
“Don’t stop, oh god, don’t stop. Right there!”
Tensley listened, but she doubted he would stop even if she told him to. He was too invested in tasting her, exploring her with calloused fingers and a strong tongue.
“Its okay, dolcezza. Just let go. I’ve got you,” he said between sucking and licking her deeply.
She was so close, blindingly close.
At her desperate cries, Tensley grew more vicious, his plan evident. He wanted to earn that orgasm from her. He wanted it almost more than she did—and he’d get it.
“Tensley, I can’t—I can’t, I’m about to—oh god, Tensley!” She arched her back, crying out as the pleasure overwhelmed her.
She collapsed back down onto the couch, breathless and spent and glowing.
When he sat up, he sucked at his fingers and grinned at her exhausted state. He scooped up her body and cradled her to his heaving, muscular chest, still hidden by his tight white dress shirt. He stroked her sweaty hair off her neck, kissing her gaping mouth.
“Tensley,” she said softly, looking up at him, “I don’t think I can walk.”
His dark eyes twinkled and he leaned down to caress her, dabbing soft, gentle kisses to the apples of her cheeks, the tip of her nose, even to her heavy-lidded eyes.
When his mouth wandered to her throat, his lips ghosting that tender flesh, she shivered against his warmth.
“This is where I’ll bite,” he whispered into her skin and nipped softly so she whimpered. “To claim you and cherish you and devour you.”
Her ringtone filled the room as he palmed her ass, crushing her to him.
“Don’t get that,” Tensley said.
She searched the table’s counter and found her phone, reading the caller ID as Tensley peppered more kisses along her throat. “It’s Stella.”
“Put the phone down.”
“Fine, but only because you just gave me an incredible orgasm.” She wrapped her arms around his neck as the ringing stopped, pressing her swollen lips to his.
“Incredible, huh?” he said between their kisses. “Earth-shattering, life-changing? Come on, throw me a bone here.”
Molly giggled. “It was…nice.”
“Nice?” Tensley’s mouth fell open. “I’ll show you nice—”
Molly’s phone rang again, and she read the screen. “It’s Stella again. I’ve gotta answer this—hello? Stella?”
“M-Molly?”
She could barely make out Stella’s voice through the thumping music. “Where are you?”
“I don’t know—Pearce took me to a party, but I don’t know where it is.”
“Pearce took you to a party?”
Tensley frowned. “At Dez’s?”
Molly flashed back to Pearce’s earlier invite to a demon party. “Oh, okay, just stay where you are. I’ll come pick you up. Are you safe?”
Stella coughed weakly. “I feel funny. I can barely move.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. “Okay, stay where you are. We’re coming for you.”
Molly hung up and sprung to her feet, her knees like jelly. She grabbed her purse from the kitchen table and a jacket from her room, and then noticed Tensley hadn’t moved. “Pearce took Stella to that demon party and she doesn’t sound right.”
Tensley looked up at her. “You mean the bitch who threatened me with her Gucci shoes?”
Molly glared. “She’s not a bitch. Are you coming or not?”
Tensley scoffed.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”
Molly threw her jacket on and left, slamming the door so hard the walls shook. When she stepped out into the dark street, Tensley appeared beside her.
“You don’t know where you’re goi
ng,” he said simply.
“I’ll call Illya. He’d help me in a heartbeat.”
Tensley gripped her elbow, stopping her from speed walking. “Don’t be angry with me. I don’t fucking like it.”
“Then don’t piss me off,” she shot back, her eyes battling his.
Tensley was silent for a long moment before motioning in the opposite direction. “C’mon. I know where it is.”
“Oh, so you decided you’d come?” Molly snapped as she followed him.
“I’m not letting you go in there alone. You’re my number one priority, remember?” he said over his shoulder, utterly genuine.
Molly stared at the back of his head, scowling as a bit of her irritation melted away.
THE HOUSE WAS loud as Molly approached with Tensley up the rundown street.
“Why would Pearce come here?” Molly asked, glaring at the complete opposite of what she was expecting. The demon party she’d attended was formal and classy; the house in front of them looked like it was days overdue to be demolished. A few men staggered in the front, laughing drunkenly, and her gut told her something was very wrong.
“Because we know Dez. He’s a supplier for Scorpios,” Tensley said, his stride purposeful and fast. He meant business and she felt safer with him beside her.
Molly frowned. “What supplies?”
Tensley’s shoulders stiffened. “Drugs and familiars. He has connections to everyone and he can get you whatever you want fast. At his parties, he likes to sell valuable things not offered to Scorpios—an underground business if you will.”
“Have you ever gone to these parties?” she asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“When I was a teenager. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for a higher-class demon to attend these. Because Pearce and I were higher rank, they treated us like gods,” he said, a hint of loathing in his deep voice. “I texted Illya. He’s going to meet us here.”
She simply nodded, her tongue like a heavy, dry slab in her mouth. She needed to find Stella—her friend’s voice had sounded so distraught on the phone, so scared, and Stella Vanderbilt was never scared.
Molly stayed close to Tensley as he entered the brownstone in the far north of the Bronx. A few stray partygoers littered the front steps, too intoxicated to function. When Molly stepped inside, a heavy smell of smoke and weed permeated the air and she held her breath.
The crowd was dense, bodies molding into one another. Lights flared up and down, blinding Molly as she gripped the bottom of Tensley’s jacket.
It wasn’t much different from the other parties she’d been to, but she had to remind herself that this was no ordinary crowd. She couldn’t lose control over her powers or she’d risk exposing what she was.
Someone smacked Molly’s ass—hard. She collided with Tensley’s back and turned to the sneering bastard who’d touched her.
“Hey doll,” he slurred, reaching for her arm.
Oh, you mother—
Tensley shot his hand out and gripped the scumbag by his throat. “If you fucking touch my girl again—if you even look at her again—I’ll scalp you and feed your worthless balls to the crows,” he ground out, pheromones of aggression pouring out of him.
“Mr. Knight, I-I didn’t know—” the guy stuttered, paling as Tensley shoved him back into the swarming crowd.
“Come here,” Tensley said into her ear and gripped her hips, moving her in front. They were pressed together so close, his hands never leaving her hips as they shouldered through the crowd.
Molly scanned the party for a flash of Stella’s fire engine-red hair, but couldn’t see her friend anywhere.
“Let’s try upstairs,” Tensley continued, his breath brushing Molly’s neck as he guided them over the staircase. She went up first, Tensley close behind.
It was far less noisy upstairs, and Molly took a steadying breath as she studied the four closed doors before them.
“I’ll look in here, you start over there,” Molly instructed, reaching for the first handle. Inside, a half-naked girl was riding a guy on the bed, and they both yelled when light from the hallway spilled in. Molly shut the door quickly and went to the following door.
The next room was silent and dark as she looked around. As she was about to leave, a whimper came from beneath the bed.
Molly stopped. “Stella?”
Sobs filled the room and Molly bent down to see Stella sprawled underneath the bed.
“Oh my god, Stella,” Molly said as she yanked her friend out and helped her to sit on the mattress. Stella’s shirt was gone, exposing her lacy bra, and Molly hurriedly removed her sweater and swung it over Stella’s shoulders. “What happened?”
Stella’s head lolled and when Molly grabbed her face, her eyes were glassy and distant. Someone had drugged her.
The door swung open and a guy with a buzz cut walked in, his zipper undone.
“Look what we have here, the human slut brought a friend.” He snickered. “We’d be fucking rich if we auctioned you two off.”
Auctioned us off?
Molly stood, clenching her fists. “What did you give her?”
The guy scanned her slowly, licking his lips. “Some belladonna. Want some?”
Molly cringed, her vision blurring. Belladonna—the same drug Abaddon had used on her.
She turned shakily to grab Stella, but the stranger gripped her forearm. “Get on your knees, doll. Let’s have some fun together.”
She dug her nails into his wrist and he cried out as she flung his hand off. “Don’t touch me.”
With a bestial growl, the man snatched Molly’s ponytail, his free hand encircling her throat. “You wanna play rough, honey?”
“Fuck—you—” She heaved, clawing to dislodge the hand crushing her airway. Once dots flooded her vision, Molly relaxed her shoulders, channeling the lightning and thunder hidden deep inside so she could retaliate. The crush of his bones under her fingertips filled the room, along with his brutal cry. She bashed her forehead into his and watched as he collapsed, unconscious, on the ground.
Molly shakily exhaled and stretched her fingers out, the rush fading quickly from her extremities.
The door flew open and Tensley rushed in, halting immediately at the sight of the man and Molly.
His eyes swept over Molly as she caught her breath. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, but you’re late,” she said, leaned over Stella’s crouched form on the bed.
Tensley moved to Stella’s other side, cradling her in his arms like she weighed mere ounces. Stella mumbled, her eyes fluttering for a second before closing again.
“He said he gave her belladonna,” Molly told Tensley as they exited the room.
“And from what I can see, they gave her too fucking much. She’s losing consciousness,” he said.
Molly’s heart pounded as the scaled the stairs and wove through the crowd, and they were almost out of the house when someone caught her eye.
Pearce stood with a few men and a purple-haired girl in the sketchy, ramshackle kitchen, and he grinned in delight when Molly shouldered her way over.
“Look who it—”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Molly shouted, trembling with the urge to smack him.
Pearce’s brow raised, but he laughed it off. “Where’s my buddy?”
Molly’s anger flared even more. “You’re sick. You brought my friend here just to drug her and leave her with strangers?!”
Pearce’s light eyes shadowed and his chest heaved as he stepped toward Molly. “She wanted fun; I gave it to her. She was too uptight so I offered her a bit of belladonna to loosen her up
Molly’s blood boiled. “You fucking jackass.” Lightning bolted up her spine, spreading to her toes and fingers. She wanted to end him, wanted to beat him until his features were no longer recognizable, until he was a mindless vegetable.
Pearce clenched his jaw, no longer playful. “Shut your mouth now, human, if you know what’s good for you.”
�
�Call me human one more time,” Molly dared, vibrating with power. She was so close to revealing her daemon nature, so close, but she didn’t even care—
Pearce slammed both hands on either side of Molly’s head, caging her in a corner of the kitchen. “I’m not sure I can keep my promise to Tensley anymore—you’re just asking to have some respect fucked into y—”
Tensley suddenly came out of nowhere, shoving Pearce out of the way and grabbing Molly by the waist. “Back the fuck off, Pearce.”
Pearce’s rage faltered. “Get out of my sight right now—both of you.”
Tensley tugged Molly out of the house, tension rolling off his back.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he reprimanded once they were outside. “It was too fucking close.” She didn’t bother to argue.
The cool air hit her hot skin and she saw Illya holding Stella’s limp form. Tensley didn’t waste any time moving past her and cradling Stella in his arms again. “C’mon.”
“Hey,” Illya whispered, rubbing Molly’s shoulder as they walked.
“They drugged her, Illya,” she hissed lowly, running her hands through her tangled hair. “They were going to do god knows what to her.” She pressed the heel of her palm to her mouth to keep from crying out.
“Probably sell her to the highest bidder,” Illya answered quietly. “They use humans at these parties. Most of the time they’re sold to high-class demons who want someone to toy with,” he said. “Some demons do it on the side to make money.”
Molly’s heartbeat stalled. “Like…human trafficking?”
Illya nodded.
Molly’s stomach twisted at the disgusting thought. If they hadn’t gotten there in time…
Molly sped up until she was beside Tensley and could see Stella’s face clearly. “Oh my god—her lips are blue,” she said, tugging on his jacket to stop him.
Tensley peered down. “She’s probably overdosing. Fuck!”
Molly started to cry, smoothing Stella’s hair off her clammy forehead. “Tensley, you guys have to help her. Please.”
Tensley stared at his fiancée and swallowed visibly. She knew what she was asking, but it didn’t matter. Not now.