“But…but, I didn’t ask for this!” she screams and starts to throw the can she’s holding across the room. I use my speed to capture her hand before she can lob it through the cabin.
“Shh, it’s okay,” I coo. Fuck me, I’ve never had to deal with an upset female, and while I should be running for the hills behind this cabin, my dead heart aches for her.
“I have this need to fuck and drink blood,” she sniffles. “I have all these abilities, and now I’m told I’m immortal, but don’t fucking starve or get your head chopped off, because the man who created you will make you stand in hellfire for eternity.”
“I’ve heard it’s more like boiling in lava, but still,” I tease, but it doesn’t make her laugh. It just angers her even more.
“I’ll kill Kieran myself,” she snarls, her fangs growing in her mouth.
I lean forward, still holding her arm. She tilts her head back and her mouth parts. Her fangs are tiny and sharp. The memory of those fangs in my neck sends a raging need to my cock. She closes her eyes and scents the air. I can taste her succubus scent on my tongue, and it makes my cock swell even more.
“Why can I scent you?” she whispers, her eyes going glassy as if I’m putting her in a trance. “It’s making me wet.”
“My cock is hard for you, Ashera,” I admit. We can do this, but we can’t live off each other’s energy for long.
“I’m hungry, Cassius,” she purrs as her eyes turn red.
I push my finger against her exposed fang, nicking the tip. Her full lips wrap around it and she sucks softly on my finger, mimicking what she could do to my cock. Her eyes darken as they peer up at me. She releases my finger and licks her lips so fucking slowly I think I might find my release before I ever take off my jeans.
“Mmm,” she says. Her hands are warm as they cup my face. “More?”
“Take what you need, little one,” I say as she pulls me close. Her legs wrap around my waist and her arms wrap around the tops of my shoulders. There is a desperation…a need in her eyes that makes me think she’s seeking solace from a storm. The strike against my vein sends pleasure straight to my cock, and I tighten my hold on her hips as I move us toward the bed. I stop and release her for a moment, yanking at the button on her shorts.
“These clothes need to go,” I growl, feeling my own fangs thicken in my mouth. I will taste her body and her blood before this session is over.
Each time she pulls from my vein, my body heats and I feel her succubus powers. They’re calming me, but also raising my need for her. She drops her denim shorts to the ground, and I can’t take much more of the scent of her desire.
The sound of ripping fabric doesn’t stop her from feeding. Her shirt and bra are nothing but a tattered mess on the floor by the time she’s bare to my eyes. Her hands reach for my fly, and I tangle my fingers in her hair, making a fist at her scalp. I need her to release me. We can feed while we fuck.
My lips crash down on hers, and I taste my blood on her tongue when I swipe it with my own. She doesn’t even yelp at the nip of my fang to her bottom lip. I’m stunned for a moment. The taste of her blood is pure heaven and hell all at the same time.
“I ache for you,” I groan as I turn her, pushing her to the bed.
“Fuck me, Cassius,” she moans, reaching for my shirt so she can pull it over my head. I shuck my jeans, and before I can settle between her legs, she flips me over and straddles my hips. When her hand wraps around my cock, I squeeze my eyes shut to keep from ending this before it begins. I haven’t been this eager to sink my cock into a warm, wet pussy since I was a teenager, and the thought frightens me.
Sex has become mundane. It’s the one thing I need to live, and after all this time, it’s become too routine for me. Oh, I crave it. Fuck, my nature demands it, and I can’t hate it. The rush of power taking the blood and energy from the souls I bed is too good. I don’t know if I feel that way because I am a demon or if my true nature is that twisted.
Something about Ashera breathes new life into my need for the emotional attachment sex brings. I don’t know if it’s because I’m feeling protective of her or if it’s because I’m tasked with keeping her from being killed by her maker. The more I’m around her, though, the more those lines are blurring.
Chapter 8
Ashera
His cock is deliciously thick, and the succubus part of me is craving him. It needs energy, and the blood was only a taste of what I want.
“Are you going to guide me in?” he asks, his fangs showing as he gives me a rare smile. His eyes, even though they are blood red, light up when he smiles. I have a feeling he doesn’t do that often, and I should be honored he smiles for me. “Ashera?”
“Yes, I’m good,” I stammer, feeling a little blush paint the tops of my cheeks. Holy hell, what am I, a virgin?
“We can stop,” he presses.
“No,” I growl and pump his cock twice. He forgets about my silence and leans his head back against the pillow, but he doesn’t release the hold he has on my thighs.
I line him up with my opening, slowly sliding him into my depths. He’s thick; thicker than most men I’ve been with. Adjusting to him takes a moment, and I moan when I finally take him all in. “Fuck, you’re tight.”
“Your cock is fucking huge,” I say as I begin to lift up and slide back down.
I lean my head back as he takes over, lifting his hips to thrust inside me. The energy and life force of an incubus is indescribable. Bumps raise on my skin as our bodies heat. It’s like an awakening, and the fire inside me roars. My fangs ache, and I look down at him. His eyes are blood red. His fangs are thick in his mouth, and his lips are parted.
“Do you want my vein?” I ask. My voice is breathless, and I’m surprised he even understands me.
He doesn’t speak as he sits up, sliding his hand up to cup the back of my neck. I move the hair off to the side a second before he strikes. My world explodes with an orgasm that rockets through my entire body. I can’t even muster up enough of a voice to scream. It comes out as a whimper, and my body tightens on his. I need him to orgasm.
“Come for me, please,” I beg, rolling my hips as he takes my vein. He’s not gentle, and I like it. There is a predatory growl coming from his chest, and the sound heats my body again. I don’t even know if I can come again, but my body answers that for me when he jerks his head back to take a much-needed gasp of air. His lips are covered with my blood, and I immediately kiss him, tasting myself.
“Roll,” he growls, pulling free of my body. I’m so lax that I let him position me on my hands and knees. He returns his hand on the back of my neck, pushing my face to the sheets, and he enters me again, swift and forceful.
“Yes,” I hiss as he thrusts hard, working himself to a release. “Use me, Cassius.”
My words urge him on, and I relish in the crack of his palm on my ass. He doesn’t even rub the sting away, and I don’t want him to. “This is for disobeying me and leaving the house today.”
“I might need a reminder of how bad I’ve been,” I say, teasing him. I like the pain he gives me. The next time he spanks me, it’s harder, and I cry out with another orgasm. I don’t know if it’s the excitement of punishing me, or the fact that he’s finished, but I feel his energy explode as his cock swells. He grunts twice, and then he’s slamming into my body, riding out his own release.
My chest aches as he fills me. Kieran punished me when I was in his dungeon, and I hated it. I hated being his punching bag when he fucked me and drank from my vein, taking all of my energy so I couldn’t escape him.
With Cassius, I want the little bite of pain and dominance. The need to freely give him a part of myself by sharing my energy and blood isn’t the same as when it’s forced from me. This male, although a demon, has morals. He cares for me.
His cock swells more, locking us together. The demonic side of me appears, and I turn my head to look over my shoulder. My eyes are bloody. I can see the red tint to everything in the room. His
eyes match mine, and we both bare our fangs at the same time. I don’t know what comes over me as I pull my hair over my head. “Mark me!”
His body covers mine as he sinks his fangs into my neck again, and his long hair drapes over our heads, blocking out his bite. My back vibrates from the soft purr coming from his chest. He’s slowly pumping into me as he holds me in place. He’s not drinking from me, and I somehow know what he’s doing is more predatorial in nature. I feel my body relax when he wraps his hand around both of my wrists, pinning me to the bed.
My mind and body are his, and I feel the tingling of magic connecting us in a way that I’ve never experienced before. It’s like a thread is being weaved, an unbreakable bond between two souls.
It’s like I am him, and he is me. There is nothing separating us, and I feel at peace when he releases me, falling to the side, his flaccid cock slipping from my body. Although I’m energized from him, I am exhausted. Cassius pulls me so he’s spooning against my back. This action should feel weird, because I haven’t done this with any of my prey. I don’t snuggle with them. Hell, I leave them basically unconscious.
“Cass,” I whisper, giving him a nickname.
“Yeah?” he says as he buries his face into my neck.
“What just happened?” The sex wasn’t just for our demon sides. Something happened that was monumental, and I don’t know how I feel about it.
“I believe that is what happens when an incubus and succubus mate,” he says, tightening his hold.
My heart freezes in my chest. All I’ve ever known of that word is from my captivity with Kieran, and it scares the fuck out of me.
“Let me go,” I growl, trying to scramble out of the bed, but Cassius isn’t having it. He tightens his hold on me again. His arms are like steel bars, and I pant heavily.
“Tell me what’s going on in your head, Ashera,” he demands with his mouth right against my ear.
“Kieran called me his mate,” I admit, wondering why the fuck I keep opening up to this incubus. I barely know him. It’s been almost a week since we met. I can’t do this. All I want is to vamp out.
“Don’t you even think about leaving this place,” he warns. “It’s important you don’t go running off. Kieran’s gargoyles are in Nashville, and he will find you.”
“He will take me back and force me to be his bride.” I shiver, feeling the fight drain out of me. He’s right. I can’t run away this time. I need their help, because Kieran will kill me if he finds me. “I don’t want that, Cass.”
“You are my mate, and I will not let him take you.” His vow is followed up with a kiss. It’s soft, and I allow myself to accept it. It’s the first time in a long time a male has shown any softness toward me. I’m not used to it, but with Cassius, I realize I could learn to crave it.
“If we are mates,” I start, looking up into his eyes. They’ve returned to the sapphire-blue of his old human life. “How will we feed?”
“We will work it out,” he sighs. “Let me get a fire started before it gets dark. I’ll cook us something to eat. Then we can talk.”
He doesn’t release me for several minutes. I think he’s weighing my emotions and if I’m going to leave. I’m sure he has the silver with him, and he wouldn’t think twice about holding me hostage here for my own safety. If I really think about it…I’m much safer here than out in the open.
“I’m not going to disappear,” I promise, shaking my head. “I’d rather not go back to him.”
“Good girl,” he says, slipping from the bed. I watch as he moves about the cabin, pulling on his jeans and shirt. He grabs his leather jacket before stepping out the back door of the cabin, only to return a minute later with an armful of wood already split.
He squats down at the fireplace and arranges the wood and kindling. Within a minute or two, the flames cast a glow across the small living space. There is no electricity, and the only light we will have will come from the fire.
“Is there anything I can help with?” I ask, climbing from the bed. I forgo getting dressed and pull the quilt around my body. There is an old bearskin rug in front of the fireplace, and I take my seat next to the heat. With the sinking sun, the cabin is starting to chill.
“I’ll make us dinner,” he says, heading for the small counter against the far wall to gather what he needs to make us a meal.
I lay on my side and watch as he works. It’d be too easy to fall into this type of routine with him, but it’s not in our cards. We are products of Lucifer. Our lives should consist of feeding off of humans and taking a little part of their souls as we live out our time here. I don’t know when I will need to feed again, but I can’t rely on Cassius to be my only food source.
He plates up a baked potato and a small piece of steak. He’d made two salads earlier, and I find my way over to the counter to bring the handmade wooden bowls back to the spot in front of the fire. We sit cross-legged, facing each other as we eat. I have questions, and I need answers.
“I can’t keep feeding from you,” I state, forking a piece of steak. It’s medium rare, and I know he cooked it so I can have a little extra blood in my system.
“I know, and I can’t survive on your blood either,” he sighs.
“How does the mated couple you know do it?” I blush. “I mean, how do they make it work?”
“They hunt together, finding human males or females who are interested in a threesome. Ellington told me it’s not as hard as it once was years ago. The humans are more open with their sexual escapades in this time than they were a hundred years ago.” Cassius reaches for another piece of steak off the flat iron he placed to the side of the fire to keep warm. He holds up a piece and I wave it off. I’m actually getting full.
“That’s doable.” I smile and take a bite of my potato. “I mean. We have to feed, right?”
“We do,” he nods. “An incubus and succubus can mate, but we are spread so thin. It isn’t often you see a mated couple. Maybe I can get Ellington to come to town and visit us.”
“I’d like that.” I sigh, because I’m frustrated with my lack of knowledge. “So much has happened since I was turned. I don’t know a lot about this life, but at least I understand what I am and what is required for me to survive.”
“Let’s worry about taking care of Kieran before we dive deeper into what happened here today.”
I don’t know how it will work. In a human relationship, having an extra sexual partner isn’t as common as he believes. Orgies? Even more scarce. I wouldn’t even know where to look. There’s only so much a succubus’s scent and magical call to a human male can do.
As much as I want to hope this possible mating to Cassius could save me from Kieran, a little voice in the back of my head says I’m putting him at risk even more now than the day before when he was just giving me a place to stay until I could move on to my next destination.
Chapter 9
Cassius
I clean up after dinner, and tell her to climb into bed. It’s still quite early, but she appears exhausted and not from being weak. We’ve had a long day, and being on the run will take a lot out of a person, human or demon.
The revelation after our time together hit me just as hard as it hit her, but I try to keep calm. Finding a mate is tricky in our world. It’s rare, yes, but it’s been done. When you have to drink blood and suck the life energy out of a living human being to survive, you have to find a way to do it with your mate.
Ellington will be the first person I contact tomorrow after checking in with Salvatore. Since I haven’t heard from him all day, it means things are quiet. We don’t know much about Kieran, and I’m sure Victor is digging up all he can on the territory leader in Pittsburg. If he’s doing unorthodox things, even for a demon, Lucifer is going to eventually find out, and all hell will break loose.
My main objective now is to not only keep Ashera safe, but to destroy Kieran Wylde in the process. The fact that he’s turning innocents and holding them hostage, teaching them to kill i
nstead of feed, is his first strike. Taking his fledglings against their will is another.
When I dry the last plate, I look over my shoulder and she is fast asleep. The succubus hasn’t put on any clothes, and if I was an insatiable man, I’d wake her up for another round. Her blood is addictive, and I can’t get her unique scent out of my mind. It’s like sweet honey, and it’s overpowering to say the least. If it wasn’t for the burning wood in the fireplace, I’d be overcome with lust for her.
I add another log to the fire and make sure all the doors and windows are secure before sliding into the bed next to her. She doesn’t move or make a sound as I settle in. Tomorrow, I will get answers as to why we both felt the mating pull when we had sex. I know a little about the mating of two demons, but I don’t know what our future will hold.
I don’t have any jealousy at knowing she will have to be with other men, and I expect her to find her own humans. They’re our food. The sex is for our survival, and it’s imperative we seek out strong, willing partners. I’m certain Ashera will feel the same way when I need to feed in the near future. If my calculations are correct, we should be good for at least three days. We’ll have time to come up with a plan during our self-imposed exile in the woods.
As the fire cracks and pops inside the room, I roll to my side and watch as she sleeps. I rub the back of my knuckles over her soft cheek and make a silent vow to keep her safe. I won’t let Kieran come for her, and if he does, I will risk eternity in Hades to see she’s safe from his grasp.
I close my eyes and sleep, knowing the next few days will be heaven and hell.
Heaven, because she will be here with me.
Hell, because a monster is trying to take what is mine.
* * *
My phone wakes me. At first, I ignore it to check on Ashera. She’s fast asleep, but stirs when the ringtone blares from somewhere on the floor.
“Yeah,” I mumble as I spring from the bed and grab my jeans.
Thirst (Incubus Tamed, Book 1) Page 5