The bird had zoned in on me, on my bedroom with such precision that I wondered if it was possessed by Luci or if maybe she could turn into a crow. The guys had laughed at me when I’d asked them if I could fly the other night, so I didn’t think so, but maybe Luci had found a loophole.
She’d had a thousand years to look for one, after all.
Maybe she just had really well-trained pets. I considered firing up my laptop to research whether crows would be able to be trained to do what that one had, and why its eyes would be lit up like a possessed doll in a bad horror movie, but I quickly decided against it. I had seen enough of crows for the night, thank you very much.
The obvious solution to stop my mind from racing was to go down the hallway and to find one of the guys and press him for more information. Or to wait for the morning and demand answers. The problem with doing that was that I didn’t really know if I wanted to know more than I already did.
Ignorance was bliss, after all.
I tossed and turned and went around and around in my head until I felt like I was starting to go crazy. Even if I didn’t want more information, which I still hadn’t decided about, I needed to talk to someone. My inner monologue wasn’t leading to any productive answers and I really didn’t want to be alone anymore. I jumped at every sound that I heard and when I closed my eyes, there were blood red eyes staring at me from behind my lids.
I decided to give up on sleep finally. I got out of bed, tugged my thick robe on and padded down the hall. I knocked on the first door I came to.
“Come in,” Rex’s low voice replied.
I turned the doorknob and let the door swing open. He was lounging on the bed, a worn paperback lying next to him and a muted television show playing on a massive flat screen that was mounted opposite the bed.
The room was just as cavernous as mine was, but the sparse decorations were more masculine. The lines cleaner. I couldn’t bring myself to step into it though. I felt super confused and suddenly emotional.
Rex didn’t skip a beat, waving his hand at me as his dark brows caved into a concerned frown. “Come on then, love. Let me hold you.”
His gentle words spurred me into action. I crossed the room quickly and crawled onto his bed and into his open arms. He was warm and hard and felt safe. His arms went around me in a movement that seemed to come as second nature to him, his muscled arms forming a vise around me.
It was the first time that I was close enough to him to catch a whiff of his scent. Just like all the others, he smelled impossibly masculine, but his scent was earthy and woodsy. Almost as if it had been inspired by Mother Nature herself.
He didn’t say much at first, just holding me and letting me order my thoughts. They were scattered all over the four corners of the globe though and I was struggling to make sense of them until he started speaking.
“Talk to me. Where’s your head at, Stevie?”
“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. I was quickly learning that it was the best way to work through my feelings with them.
“That’s okay.” Rex started stroking my hair lightly. “You need to know that you’re safe with us. There are wards around all of the safe houses that will warn us if another supernatural creature comes within a mile of the place.”
“Then how did that crow find me tonight?” It didn’t make any sense.
“Precisely because its not supernatural. That’s likely why Luci didn’t try to come for you herself. The crow might be able to get past them without detection. The same couldn’t be said for Luci.” His deep voice was confident, reassuring.
“But she knows where I am now?”
“If she doesn’t yet, she will as soon as her messenger returns to her. It will take her at least a day or two to mobilize and come after us. So you’re safe here and now. I swear it.”
“For tomorrow, then we have to go on the run?” It wasn’t really a question, I’d heard Damon’s sweeping declaration earlier, I just needed confirmation.
“Don’t think of it as going on the run, think of it as evasive maneuvering.” Rex’s jaw set in a determined line. “It’s a tactic we will employ whenever we feel that your safety has been compromised.”
“You can call it what you want to, but it’s still running.” There was no doubt in my mind about that. For some reason, the thought of running indefinitely didn’t sit well with me.
“We will do whatever it takes to protect you, Stevie. If that’s ‘running’ for now, then so be it,” Rex told me.
“What if I don’t want to be a victim in all of this?” The thought was out before I had time to really process it, but as soon as I said it, I knew that it was true.
Rex tensed, a deep scowl settling on his features. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that I want to feel strong and powerful instead of helpless and scared.” And I suddenly knew exactly how I could get there. I met Rex’s burning obsidian eyes. “Can you make me feel that way? Even just for a little while.”
He didn’t look even mildly surprised, but he narrowed his eyes for a split second before he nodded. “I can. Whatever you want, Stevie. I will give it to you. Always.”
Rex’s solemn words made me feel supercharged, and my focus shifted from Luci and onto only him. Only Rex and me and being in this moment. Without having so much as lifted a finger to touch me, he’d made me feel less like a victim. It made me more confident, suddenly wild for him.
The throbbing between my legs reminded me of the fact that it had been too long since I’d last sated my body’s new need, its urgency urging me to take Rex at his word and take what I wanted from him.
But what I wanted in that moment was to make him feel good. I wanted him as desperate and wanting as I was, the powerful demon squirming for a release that only I could give him.
He reached for me at the same time that I reached for him, our mouths crashing together so hard that the kiss left a slightly metallic taste in my mouth. Kissing Rex was like nothing I’d ever experienced. He was demanding and rough while being impossibly generous and caring. He let me take from him while still getting exactly what he wanted. His one hand fisted my hair and gripped it so hard that a little bit of pain mixed in with the pleasure. It heightened every sensation he was making me feel.
Energy poured into me, more intense and powerful than it ever had before. It cracked through my veins and rumbled through my body, making my limbs feel lighter than air and my head swim with delirious pleasure. I didn’t know when it happened, but I found myself straddling his lap and writhing against his erection.
He groaned as I circled my hips, so I did it again and again. Rex’s fingers dug into my hips, playing with the hem of my nightdress. The backs of his fingers brushed my thighs as he did it, setting my skin on fire under his touch. Without warning, he yanked the dress over my head and carelessly let it drop near the robe I’d shrugged out of before crawling onto the bed.
My mind flashed briefly on the fact that I should be freezing, but the house was well heated and Rex was lighting up my body from the inside out. Our feverish kisses were growing harder and more passionate. My hands fell to his shirt and our kiss broke only long enough for the material to pass our mouths.
Being skin to skin with him was like a dream come true. His flesh, hot like fire, his body, hard as stone. Arching my chest against his, I moaned when my nipples brushed his muscular torso.
For a brief second, I forgot about my intentions of making him feel good and squirm. All I could focus on was getting him inside of me. I needed to feel him there, sliding deep, until he could go no further, but no. I wanted to relish this and more than that? I wanted the same for Rex. I had to experience that power of bringing a man like him to lose control for me. Because of me. I didn’t have control over much in my life right now, and just this…us having a choice here and now, and choosing this? Felt so good.
With that in mind, I kissed down his neck, biting and licking and sucking. I’d barely gotten started when he jerked me up highe
r so he could lower his head and take a peaked nipple into his mouth. It was shockingly erotic to watch him do it. He gave me a gentle bite and then licked the sting away before drawing on me long and hard.
His gaze went molten hot as he tongued my nipple and he started rocking his hips against me. His chest was on fire, my palms burning from his heat as I ran them over his pecs. His muscles quivered and he sucked in a deep breath when I touched him there. A heady feeling of power surged through me as I realized that I was the one doing that to him.
It was exactly what I needed. Breathing hard, I pulled his mouth away from me and pushed his shoulder flush to the bed. Then, I leaned down to run my lips from his neck to his chest. He groaned, reaching up so that his clever fingers could toy with my nipples. Each of his strokes sent a pulse of pleasure straight to my core.
“I want to make you feel good.” I whispered my confession to him, kissing every inch of his glorious torso.
Rex groaned, his breathing growing choppy when I reached the waistband of his pajama bottoms. “You already are.”
He reached for me, but I shook my head. His expression was tight as I fingered his waistband. He caught my wrist, holding it still as his gaze swept over my face. “You don’t have to do that, I know you said you’ve never done it before.”
I hesitated, but then took a deep breath. Be brave. Be bold.
“I know. But I still want to. Do you think you could maybe, uh...”
My voice trailed off and Rex let his head fall back, finishing my thought on a strangled growl. “You want me to teach you?”
“I, uh… yeah.” Then I backtracked, dropping my fingers from his pants and lifting my head to take in his expression. “Unless you don’t want to, I mean—”
His jaw tensed. “Trust me, I fucking want to. Don’t ever doubt that. You just don’t have to rush into anything you’re not ready for.”
“I’m ready. I want this,” I answered so fast that Rex’s burning eyes lit up in amusement, which was replaced quickly by indescribable lust as I started pushing his pajamas down. My heart pounded as his cock bobbed forward, thick and long. I sucked in a breath through my nose as I brought my mouth close to him. He was fully erect, so virile and full of life that I licked my lips in anticipation and Rex’s cock twitched.
I wanted to do this right, but I was slightly intimidated by his size, by the fact that I could feel his eyes hot on me. He threaded his fingers through my hair and brought the hand he had caught earlier to his shaft. He was hot and heavy in my hand. “It’ll be easier for you if you use your hand too,” he murmured.
I nodded, then started giving him gentle strokes before I took his tip into my mouth, sucking softly. His hips nearly came off the bed.
“Holy shit,” Rex growled.
Encouraged by his ragged breathing and his strangled voice, I grew bolder, pumping him faster and dragging my lips down his shaft. Rex kept groaning and I reveled in every tug of my hair, every sound of pleasure. I quickly learned what he liked and repeated it over and over again.
I had wanted to make him squirm, wanted to make him feel good. His muscles trembled and his eyes were wild as he dragged me up, not giving himself time for his breathing to slow as he ripped my panties off and placed me in position on his lap. His impressive erection hadn’t waned. It pressed hot and slick at my entrance.
“Take it, love,” he gritted out. “Take what you need.”
I did exactly what he told me to do, relishing the sting as he pushed me open wider than I’d ever been and filled every part of me. I lost myself in Rex, surrendering myself to the mind-blowing pleasure that thundered through my body every so often as he moved inside of me.
When we finally fell back to the mattress, we were both gasping and covered in a light sheen of sweat. I wasn’t tired though, I didn’t feel exerted or exhausted. I felt powerful. More so than ever, as if Rex’s life force coursing through me had taken root in my veins and was combining his strength with mine.
His hand stroked my thigh, my head resting on his chest.
“How do you feel?” he asked, peering down at me with genuine concern shining in his eyes.
“Right now?” I smiled my most radiant smile. “Like I could kick that succubus bitch’s ass all the way into next week.” I trailed a hand over his sweat-slicked chest and felt my insides quicken again. His gaze went hot and needy as I pressed him back and climbed over him. “But we should probably try again, just in case…”
Chapter 13
When I woke up the next morning, there was a delicious soreness in my limbs. I stretched out and my hand grazed Rex’s toned back. I’d fallen asleep in his arms, resting more peacefully than I had since the night before my birthday.
My resolve seemed to have strengthened as I slept and I felt almost invincible. I stole from his bed and padded to my room to get dressed. After taking a long shower, it was time to go downstairs to face the music. My newly formed resolve wasn’t going to go over well with the guys, that much I was sure of.
They thought it was better to hide. Safer for me. And they were probably right, but I didn’t want to. It was that simple and that complicated all at once.
I unlatched Maximus’ cage and took him downstairs with me so that he could roam around a little. The guys also weren’t going to like that much, but I was still on a power high and I felt like I’d received a shot of pure confidence straight to my self-esteem.
Perhaps that was the appeal of blowjobs to women. It seemed entirely possible that the thrill of being able to provide someone such intense pleasure that you were entirely in control of was the allure.
I made a mental note to ask Brie.
It had been more than that with Rex, I knew. I was coming to care for him…care for them all, deeply. That was probably far more likely to be the cause for the way I was feeling that morning, but the memory of him losing his substantial self-control beneath me certainly didn’t hurt.
I was walking on air as I entered the kitchen, finding it empty. A quick scan of the contents of the fridge revealed that we had all the ingredients that I needed to whip up a pretty spectacular breakfast. What I was about to propose to the guys wasn’t going to be a popular idea and I wasn’t above buttering them up with delicious food.
First things first, I mixed up a pancake batter that I knew was guaranteed to deliver light, fluffy disks of pure breakfast ecstasy and then I set it aside to let it rest. Next, I fried up enough bacon and sausages to feed an army and made sure that I had the oven set to a low heat to keep them warm once they were done.
By the time the others started siphoning down, apparently lured by the smells that had wafted upstairs from the kitchen, I had a spread ready that would rival what you would find at a five star hotel.
Lachlan let out a low whistle when he was met by the sight of me in the “Kiss the Cook” apron, my hair piled onto my head with sweaty tendrils that had escaped my bun hanging loosely around my face. Although it might also just have been a result of the food I presented to him.
The doubt was swept from my mind when he grinned at me and whispered, “Seems like an invitation, yeah?”
He pressed a soft kiss to my cheek and smiled when I sighed at the feel of his lips on my skin. These guys were too hot for me to handle, it was unfair, really. Once they were all there, Brie included, plates piled high with steaming food, I called this unscheduled conference to order.
“It’s time for a family meeting,” I said, clapping my hands together.
“Should I leave?” Brie asked tentatively, gazing longingly at her pancake stack.
“Nope. Stay,” I insisted, though I saw Damon giving me a look. The muscles in his jaw twitched, either he knew something was up or he didn’t like the thought of bringing what was—to his mind—an outsider this deeply into our business.
I trusted Brie and he was going to have to deal with it. I returned his look with a meaningful one of my own and then turned towards the rest.
“I’m not going anywhere t
onight,” I informed them. The room went so quiet that you’d be able to hear a pin drop as clearly as you could hear church bells ringing on Sunday mornings.
“Say what, now?” Lachlan asked, eyebrows raised.
“I’m not running. I refuse to spend my time running and hiding and being scared of whatever might be lurking in the shadows.”
“Stevie, you’re still too new to—” Matteo started, but I held up my hand and he fell silent. I would listen to their objections later. I had to get my argument out first, before I lost my nerve.
“I was given this gift for a reason. I need to know what it is. That’s never going to happen if we spend the rest of eternity looking over our shoulders, if we keep reacting in the exact way that Luci is expecting us to.” It wasn’t the clearest of explanations, but it was a start.
“What are you suggesting?” Rex grunted, a deep frown fixed to his face. I could see the wheels in his head turning, sure that he was going over our conversation the night before with a fine-toothed comb to see if he had contributed to what they were sure to think was madness.
“I’m not suggesting anything, I’m telling you that I’m standing my ground. If you want to go, do it.” I met four sets of incredulous eyes. One by one they crossed their arms over their chests in quiet defiance.
Brie looked confused and more than a little impressed that I was holding firm with the guys, never mind talking about doing it with an evil queen who was determined to kill me.
“It’s too dangerous, Stevie. You haven't even come fully into your powers yet,” Damon said. “You know that we’re not going anywhere without you, but so help me I will tie you to the back of my fucking bike if that’s what it takes.”
“No,” I argued. I’d been prepared for this. “There will be no kidnapping. Not this time. Damn it, this is my life. And who’s the boss around here anyway?”
Her Demon Harem: Reverse Harem Duology 1 (The Succubus Chronicles) Page 10