Defy Me: A Paranormal Demon Romance (The Demonology Series Book 2)

by Felicity Brandon

  It was all I had—until Tara.

  Stepping back, I watched as Gavin’s pale face fell forward over the wooden bar. He’d been strapped to the thing for a long time, his body undoubtedly weary, regardless of the ordeal I ensured he suffered, and unconsciousness had returned, offering him a peace he scarcely deserved but enjoyed now all the same.

  “Master Solomon.”

  I turned at the grating voice of Stasia, one of the demons from the lower hierarchy I had summoned to take care of the mess.

  “Process this mortal.” I stalked past her, still riding the high Gavin’s torment had inspired.

  “Yes, Master.”

  “He is bound for Master Asmodeus.”

  Turning, I glanced back at Gavin’s slumped body. I made him suffer alright, putting him through everything I could think of and more. Each time I grew weary of the pursuit, a new idea enthused me to more action. Anger had swollen in my limbs, consuming me until it was all I could see, all I could taste, a thrumming in my ears which banged so loudly, it demanded accomplishment. And I had done what I do. I gave that energy everything it craved, each depraved deed heightening my senses as his misery deepened, and in his thoughts, I saw an epiphany—the place Tara would love to have witnessed had she lacked the humanity—a place where Gavin finally understood.

  This was what he deserved.

  For every time he had threatened her, for every inappropriate look, every illegal touch, all the years he’d blocked out the sun and hurtled her toward despair, this was where that path had led him—straight into my bondage, my custody, and eternity in perdition.

  I smiled at the thought, my senses leveling as the feeding frenzy abated.

  “See that he gets there, but feel free to satisfy yourselves first.”

  Stasia grinned. “Thank you, Master.”

  I nodded, feeling lighter as I stepped away from the carnage. My work was done. I had avenged Tara in the most satiating way possible, and soon, once I was calm and back in control, I would go to her—and I would devour her.

  “Master?”

  My hooves halted, my physical form still that of the beast as I glared back at Stasia.

  “What is it?”

  “Master Satan has asked you to report to him.”

  I sighed. “In person?”

  “I don’t know.” Stasia shrugged. “He never stipulated.”

  I raised a paw. “Fine, just tidy up here.”

  Striding from the scene, I transported myself back to the main chambers of the dark realm. Numerous minions bowed at my presence, falling to their knees as I passed by, but I had no time to revel in their deference. Whatever my master needed, required my attention now before my little mortal roused and became aware of my prolonged absence.

  “Master.”

  My voice reverberated around the rocky caverns as I entered the space. Satan stood with his back to me, his strong hind legs turning at my call.

  “Solomon.” His expression was expectant. “You have returned.”

  “Stasia mentioned you wanted to see me.”

  “Of course.” His lips curled. “Of all my prodigies, you engage me the most.”

  He took a step toward me, his huge frame seeming weightless as he moved. “You remind me the most of myself.”

  My brow rose. “What an honor,” I murmured, lowering my head at his approach. “Thank you.”

  “So, tell me your news. The last time we spoke, you were going to take the female as your servant.”

  I smiled, trying to recall when Tara had meant so little to me, but it seemed impossible. I was not clear how much time had elapsed since I’d last seen my master, but it was obvious my view of the mortal had changed considerably. She would serve me still, but now my possession of the girl was based on the intensity of emotions she evoked, on the power of the passion.

  “Much has changed, Master,” I admitted. “Yet, at the same time, nothing has changed.”

  His giant brow knitted, his dark fur creasing. “You speak in riddles.”

  I laughed. “Not intentionally, it is just…” I paused, trying to find the right words, but he interjected, knowing already what I was struggling with, as he always did.

  “You want her now.” Bright crimson eyes flashed me. “You were not sure before, but now you are.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “What changed?”

  “She did, or perhaps I did, I am not certain. Somehow, she has enthralled me. I was always going to carry out the retribution she sought, but I never expected to do so with such vigor.”

  Satan laughed, his glee echoing around the dark walls.

  “So, the deed is done?” His gaze was knowing, suggesting he was well aware of Gavin’s current state.

  “It is done,” I confirmed. “I just left the mortal with Stasia and her crew.”

  “Is he still alive, this latest recruit to Asmodeus’ farm?”

  “He is, Master.” My lips twitched at my master’s evident mirth. “Tara never insisted on ending his mortal coil, so I decided the greater punishment would be keeping him alive and making him suffer.”

  Satan grinned. “So much like me…” His tone was wistful. “I would say I was proud, except pride is the domain of my brother, Lucifer, and yet still, I cannot help but smile at your advances.”

  “Should I finish the job, Master? Or instruct Stasia to do so?”

  Satan waved his hand dismissively. “It matters not,” he decided. “Let Asmodeus do with him as he wishes. The fate of this mortal is no longer our concern.”

  He was right, of course. I had played my part, and now, it was time to claim my prize.

  “You are eager to return to her?” He threw me a shrewd look before he wandered to his stony throne and took a seat. “You want to fuck her.”

  “Yes.” There was no point trying to conceal things from a demon as powerful as my master. “Strangely, yes.”

  “Why strange?”

  I lifted my chin, taking in the charred scent of the domain. Often, I missed the lingering aroma, and being here again was an opportunity to relish it.

  “Because it’s not what we do, is it, Master? It’s not what I do.”

  Satan snorted. “Just because you own one sin doesn’t mean you can’t dabble in another, Solomon.”

  “Indeed, and I have had my share of mortals over the centuries, as you know, but—”

  “But this is different.”

  I smiled. Once more, he cut me off, concluding my sentence with the precision I’d come to expect.

  “Lust can be powerful, my old friend,” he replied. “Just ask your prince, Asmodeus.”

  “I should not be concerned then?”

  I moved toward him, suddenly anxious to hear his answer. So caught up in the pursuit of Tara, I had not had a chance to think much on what it all meant, but standing here now gave me perspective. Had I ever been so beguiled by a mortal before? So desperate to possess?

  “Concerned?” Satan shook his head with a smile. “Hell, no!” His grin widened at his own quip. “Enjoy it, I say. Rejoice in the difference, embrace it. I know when the time is right, the rage will return, and when it does, it will hit you harder than ever.” He leaned toward me, his eyes glowing. “So, take this time, Solomon. Take it with my blessing. Go and fuck the girl. Screw her into the next dimension for all I care.”

  “And if I want more?”

  “More?” He ran his forked tongue over his blood-covered jaw. “Has she not already sworn allegiance to you?”

  “Yes. Yes, she has.”

  “Then what more do you need? You have her for all time, my friend, at your beck and call. Available for your every lustful whim.”

  “True.” I smiled at the way he made that sound. “But still, say her devotion wasn’t sufficient. If I wanted more.”

  “You already know of the ritual you infer, Solomon.” Satan’s gaze darkened. “But I would think carefully about your choices before you go down that road.”

  “The binding c
eremony?”

  I had not known many of our kind who submitted to such obligatory commitment. The ceremony was brief, but meaningful, and ensured the mortal’s soul was forever fettered to the demon in question. Of course, said devil could come and go as they wished. They could fuck who they wanted, do whatever pleased them, but they would always have the responsibility of that human soul. That obligation would never leave them. It was not for most of us, and Satan knew in the past, I had scoffed at the mere mention of the concept, but there were a few who had thrived in the arrangement.

  “You would really consider such a vow?”

  I glanced around the cavern. “I do not know,” I confessed with a shrug. “I have never given it credence until now.”

  “Do you want my advice, Solomon?” His expression was serious as he glared in my direction, but I felt no fear. I respected my master, but I was way past the need for his approval, and he knew it.

  “Master, you know what the mortals say—the worst vice is advice.”

  There was a flicker of amusement in Satan’s face, but he fought to control it.

  “Is that a yes?”

  Sighing, I stepped forward. “Of course.”

  “Go to her now. Taste her, feel her, hold her, overwhelm your senses in her flesh. Take what you want and find out what you need to know, but take your time, my friend. You have an eternity. Quite enough time to decide whether to tether her soul to you.”

  “Of course.” I chuckled, his reasoning making perfect sense. “You are right. I think I was so enamored by the euphoria of destroying her stepfather, I lost sight of what was important.”

  “It happens. Do not worry about it. You are obviously drawn to the mortal for a reason, but if you do decide you need more, then promise me one thing.”

  I looked into my master’s burning eyes. He was my mentor, the monster who had given me everything—the benefit of his years of experience, his time, and his relentless support—the least I could do was offer this one thing in return.

  “Anything, Master.”

  “If you do decide to take this extra step, if you want her bound to you for all time, then swear you will come to see me first.”

  I nodded. It was not such a difficult promise to make. “Yes, Master.”

  “And bring the woman with you,” he continued. “I should like to make the acquaintance of the mortal who would have so mesmerized you, Solomon. You know, there has never been one for me.” It was almost regret that laced his tone, his expression wistful. “I should like to understand more of the appeal.”

  I went to him, lowering to one knee.

  “I swear it, Master. Should the desire become too great to bear, I shall bring her to you before we enact the ceremony.”

  Satan smiled at me, one huge paw rising as he signaled for me to stand.

  “Go to her, and make it good. I want to feel the ground shake with the passion the two of you create.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Tara

  I awoke with a start, my eyes flitting open to find the bedding beside me vacant and cold.

  Solomon.

  He filled my thoughts, his final command returning and echoing through my mind in that gravelly tone that made my sex clench with sordid anticipation.

  “You should rest.” I inhaled at the memory of this timbre, the small hairs on my arms rising as though he was there with me. “I should tell you, living out such bloodlust tends to fuel my fire, and once I am cleaned up, I’ll be ravenous for you, Tara.”

  Ravenous.

  I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. He’d said he’d be ravenous for me, yet where was he?

  Glancing around, my gaze wandered to every corner of the space which had become my home. I hadn’t asked to come here, and Solomon had never sought my permission, but oddly, it seemed to be the most natural thing in the world. I was safe, warm, and content, a far cry from the woman who’d conjured him on her knees in that crappy little room. I was nothing like her anymore. Solomon had empowered me, and even though he was a dangerous fiend who I should fear, the thought of him enraptured me. He’d given me something no other human had been able to achieve in my twenty-seven years—something to live for… something to die for.

  I couldn’t regret it.

  Sliding from between the sheets, I padded to the chaise lounge. I’d become used to being nude most of the time, which was how Solomon wanted me, and gradually, I was more at ease with my own body. Now that I was eating properly, I had gained a few pounds, my breasts were a little more swollen, and my belly curved more than before, but the hungry look in his eyes had always reassured me he welcomed the developments. He yearned for me. I pulled in a shaky breath as the prospect of that desire dawned on me.

  Solomon was coming for me, and when he arrived, he was going to have me.

  I’d wanted it for so long, it had almost become a game. I would beg for his cock, and he would refuse, but not before he’d commanded I wrap my lips around his huge appendage, and certainly not before he’d brought me to many earth-shattering climaxes with his tongue and fingers. But this, this was going to be different. This time, he would really have me. That same enormous cock was going to stretch and fill me, and for my part, I was going to give myself to him, welcoming him as I had right from the start.

  My pulse quickened, and my hand slipped between my legs as the idea resonated, finding my lips already slick with my longing. Solomon had groomed my hair to his pleasing, leaving only a small patch of dark curls at my pussy, and the sensation of the bared flesh made the whole thing even more illicit—all the naughtier and more wrong.

  I gasped excitedly as I gazed out the window. It wasn’t real, of course, the visage I saw. The glass was an illusion, designed to show the viewer whatever scene their hearts most desired. When I’d first arrived, and Solomon had allowed me to explore, I’d been spellbound, spending hours sitting in front of it, just watching, and even now, its magic was not lost on me.

  Reaching for the glass, I pressed my palm against the pane, resting my forehead lightly as I took in the scenic view—green, rolling hills anchored by ancient-looking oaks and the small blue stream running through the landscape. It was picture perfect, a panorama I’d never seen with my own eyes, but one I’d imagined many times.

  A little piece of heaven. Just like this thing between me and Solomon.

  “Heaven?” I leapt from the glass at his booming voice. “Did you just compare me to heaven?”

  Spinning on my heel, he manifested just a few feet from the place I stood, and oh my, he was taller and more compelling than I’d remembered. His hair seemed longer as he flicked it out of his eyes, and his broad, muscular chest was on display as his lips curled.

  “That is a new one, little mortal.”

  “I…”

  All intelligent thought evaporated at the sight of him. It wasn’t just that he was so extraordinarily fine, or his obliques forced my attention low past his waist to the place where I knew his length was waiting for me beneath his dark pants. It was the literal devil in his eyes, the sinful intent, which took my breath away.

  Solomon had come for one thing, and much though I’d longed for it, the reality was overawing.

  He smiled at my hesitation, beckoning me toward him with one forefinger. My feet obeyed, despite the reticence of my head, and a moment later, I was back in his arms again, the scent of his hot flesh enveloping me.

  “What’s this?” He arched that eyebrow at me. “Lost for words, little mortal?”

  “I-I didn’t know where you were, Master,” I stammered as he caught my chin with one hand and forced me to meet his gaze.

  “Yes, you did.” His voice was soft, his eyes kinder than I’d imagined they’d be. “You knew precisely where I was.”

  A memory of Gavin strapped to the wooden plank flitted into my mind, but I pushed it away. I had no wish to think of such things. Not now, I was finally going to get what I wanted—what we both wanted.

  I never needed to think abou
t that evil little man ever again.

  Solomon’s eyes penetrated me. “No, you don’t,” he concurred. “That matter is dealt with. You will never have to see him again.”

  A part of me wanted to ask what had happened—what he’d done to Gavin to make him pay—but I was too afraid. Having chosen to withdraw from the event, I was hardly in a position to demand the excruciating details.

  Solomon laughed, revealing that row of perfect teeth.

  “You can have those details,” he murmured, the words washing over my face like warm air. “But not now, Tara.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  His gaze was scintillating and returned to their original shade, the dark green orbs showed incredible depth, but that was him all over. Dark and nefarious, he undoubtedly was, yet he had shown me more care in the last few days than anyone had ever done. The contradiction was as puzzling as it was tangible.

  “Now, I am going to do as I promised.”

  My breath hitched, my nipples hardening against his torso.

  “Have me?”

  His gaze widened imperceptibly.

  “Oh, yes,” he breathed. “But first, let me look at you.”

  He withdrew, taking a step away as he cast his hungry gaze over my naked body.

  “Master.”

  I blushed at the scrutiny, his stare so intense, I felt as if he could see straight into my soul—the very soul he now owned.

  “Shhh.” He lifted one finger, his expression contemplative. “You are so beautiful. I do not know how it ever passed me by.”

  I shrugged, shifting my weight one leg to the next as I considered covering my beading nipples with my hands.

  “Do not.” The order was stern. “I want to see all of you.”

  “But why, Master?” I implored. “When you have seen all of me before?”

  “On those days, I couldn’t have you, Tara. I couldn’t take what was mine.” Solomon grinned. “But this day is different.”

  I lifted my chin, swallowing hard to lubricate my drying throat.

  “You are no longer the willowy woman I found kneeling in the shadows, Tara Levinson.”

  “Aren’t I?” My voice sounded ridiculously tiny.