Cassia continued to cry into his solid bulk until he took her into the bedroom, settling her on his lap and forcing the truth from her.
“It was the night you left,” she said, stifling her tears. “I’m sorry, Lucius. It’s my fault. I couldn’t stop him. He was too strong.”
Lucius grabbed his wife’s hand, trying to calm his rising anger. “Who was it?”
Cassia bit her lip. “I don’t know. He came in the night. I couldn’t see him.”
Kyla inhaled sharply at her lie. She presumed Cassia didn’t want the two brothers to fall out.
“Kill me, Lucius, please. I’m bearing his child. I don’t want it. I can’t do it. If you don’t kill me then I’ll do it myself.”
Lucius planted a passionate kiss on his wife before storming out into the street, demanding that people tell him who dared violate his wife. No one would answer him for fear of his wrath being carried out on them.
Seething in the revelation from his wife, Lucius went on a murderous rampage, slaying anyone who dared to come near him and anyone who remained silent under his questions. He was not without his own injury as people tried to stop him, to calm his adrenaline fuelled rage. He took down six strong men with a mere few swings of his sword, anyone else who had brave ideas were also seen running for their homes and waiting for soldiers to arrive to calm the bulldozer of a man carving his way through the streets.
Kyla watched in shock as the yellowed stones turned red with blood, the thick, dark substance trickling its way towards the panic ridden people.
With a heaving chest and tired arms, Lucius stumbled towards his brother’s villa only to cry out in agony as he saw his brother, dead by his own sword, with a scrawled message written in his blood, admitting his guilt.
His face sticky with blood, sweat, and tears, Lucius crawled his way home, clutching his beautiful wife as he sobbed his apologies to her. He knew he would be sentenced to death for his acts, but he didn’t care. The pain coursing through him at this moment cut his heart in half, tearing his soul to shreds. Knowing he had been away drinking wine and being merry whilst his wife was raped by his brother was too much for him to bear.
Her own face streaming with hot tears, Cassia took his dagger and placed it in his strong hands, pointing the tip at her heart.
“Please, Lucius. I would rather die than bear another man’s child.”
Lucius shook his head at her, refusing to do it. “I’m not killing you.”
In a heart wrenching moment, Cassia sealed her lips to his, skewering herself on the dagger as she did so. Her hazelnut eyes dimmed as she stroked his cheek with her tender, dying touch.
Lucius roared in grief as he hung onto his wife’s limp body, his young son running inside and screaming at the horror before him.
“We must join your mother in the afterlife, Loreius.”
The child nodded his pretty blonde head. Lucius drove a dagger through his son’s heart with a cry of anguish before submitting himself to the same fate.
CHAPTER XXIV
Back inside the wooden cabin, the air hung thick with emotion. Azazel had seated himself in one of the red velvet chairs in front of the fire. Kyla stood by the table, shock sending her mind reeling at a million miles an hour.
She glanced over at Azazel, blinking twice as she realised he was shedding his own tears. She picked her way over to him, her feet whispering across the wooden floor before she sat opposite him, placing a gentle hand on his knee.
“Azazel?”
“Hmmm?” He turned his head from the dancing flames to look at her with water filled green eyes.
Kyla felt her heart crack in two as she realised that deep down, his entire façade was just a front, to cover up his horrific hurt from all those years ago. Time was a tool that allowed you to live with tragedy but it didn’t heal, it merely plastered over the wounds.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, squeezing his knee. “For making you relive that.”
He smiled at her, his mouth quirking up at her kind words. “It’s nothing I’ve not subjected myself to a million times before, but thank you.” Without thinking, he picked her hand up, brushing his lips across her skin with a feather light touch.
Her heart skipped and jumped at his gentle notion. “Is there nothing you can do with your magickal stuff and all?”
He smirked at her, his thumb stroking across her knuckles. “No—courtesy of Lucifer. I’m powerful, but I can’t overrule his magick.”
Kyla grimaced, not wanting to probe any deeper but curious at the same time.
“After Lucifer turned us into, well, this, he rewound time and set the village folk back to a point where neither I nor Balthazar had ever existed. Our father, Trebius, never had children in his new life. The most painful thing was watching Cassia live a different life, but at least she was happy and safe.” He sighed with a smile. “He kept me and Balthazar apart for a year—well aware that our first meeting would be rather explosive. It was—literally.”
Kyla frowned, not quite understanding.
“Vesuvius,” Azazel said, squeezing her hand before letting it go. “That was the result of mine and Balthazar’s first fight. Irony at its best—I killed her anyway, just in a different way. It was obviously meant to be.”
Before she knew what she was doing, Kyla wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing her comfort into him. She surprised herself as she nestled her head into the crook of his neck, finding a piece of relief there.
Azazel was alarmed at her sudden outburst of kindness, but it didn’t take long before he encircled his arms around her, soaking himself in her presence. He closed his eyes as he drew in a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of her fruity shampoo.
He chuckled, rubbing his hands up and down her back. “I think the food’s gone cold.”
“I don’t care,” she said, closing her eyes as she found her own quiet comfort in his perfect body.
Azazel smiled, burying his face back inside her hair as he hugged her to him with all the strength that he dared muster without breaking her delicate bones.
***
The two of them managed to fall asleep in their strange position. Sleep was a stranger to Azazel. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of peaceful longing as he relished Kyla being wrapped around him. It was dark outside, the moon shining through the small cabin windows, and basking them in its glorious glow.
“Kyla,” he whispered, moving his hands up and down her small frame.
She stirred in his arms, her eyes fluttering open as she woke up. She smiled to herself as she recognised his strong neck muscles in front of her. She lifted her head to see the encroaching darkness.
“Oh my. What time is it?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Azazel replied, running his hands through her silky hair. “We have all the time in the world.”
She laughed at him. “I wish we did.”
“Did you miss the part where I said I could rewind time?” His green eyes were dancing with mischief as he submitted to the fact that he didn’t want this moment to end.
Kyla grinned at him. “You said Lucifer could—not you.”
He smiled back, inching his delicious face towards hers. “Well, I can.”
With a racing heartbeat, she raised her hand to his cheek, waiting for him to shy away, but all he did was lean his cheek into her tender touch.
She swallowed a dry lump as their eyes met, each of them wondering about the other. “Why did you have to be such an arse to me?”
He laughed, his eyes glinting with amusement. “You know how to ruin a moment, don’t you?”
She giggled as she stroked his smooth skin with careful precision. A fleeting thought of Chad crossed her mind and a sudden rush of guilt washed over her as she thought back to what Balthazar had done to Cassia. Although her incident with Chad had been consensual, it couldn’t have been easy for him to watch her after what he’d had to witness his own brother do to his wife.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “For Chad
and everything…”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
A small smile pressed across her lips as she looked down at his broad chest, his T-shirt pulled tight across his defined muscles, teasing the definition of them through the thin material.
“So, is that always you guys? When volcanoes erupt?”
Azazel smiled. “If it’s a volcano or an earthquake, then yes, it’s me and him fighting. If it’s a tornado, a hurricane, or a tsunami, then it’s the butterfly effect. Basically, we affect fire and earth with our fights, our magick meddling affects air and water.”
“Butterfly effect?”
“From rewinding time. There are consequences to everything. If you change something in one place, it’s only natural order that it affects something in another place.”
“That’s quite cool. Hey,” she said, poking a finger in his chest. “It was on the news this morning about a huge tornado in America.”
He kept his poker face as best as he could. “There are some things you don’t need to know about.”
“What was it? Does it affect me?”
“No.”
“Then tell me. Please.” She batted her eyelashes at him with a cute and innocent expression on her face.
“It’s nothing for you to worry about, trust me.”
She narrowed her eyes before dropping the subject, uncurling herself from his body and standing up. “Are you going to take a lady home?”
He smiled as he stood up, his hands creeping towards her waist, watching for her rejection. As his hands settled into her curves, a small gasp sounded from her as she revelled in his touch. Her eyes gleamed as she looked up at him and she bit her bottom lip in anticipation. He pulled her into him, his face hovering over hers with a pleasurable threat.
He trailed his gaze down to her luscious red lips. “Does the lady want to go home?”
She focused on his plump mouth, her raging heat from deep inside sending her rationality flying out the window. She shook her head, her gaze never leaving his parted lips.
A genuine smile flashed across Azazel’s face as he edged his mouth closer to hers, millimetre by millimetre. He crept a hand up her back, settling it in her fiery red hair with a gentle massage of his fingertips. He pressed her to him as tight as possible, a passionate urgency seeping through his movements.
Her stampeding heart caused her lips to part in expectation of his delicious kiss. Finally getting the signal he was waiting for, Azazel bonded them together in a lust filled meeting of unexplored desires.
CHAPTER XXV
The surges of hot tingles floating around Kyla’s body were indescribable. She closed her eyes as their mouths finally met, her darkened eyelids treating her to dashes of marvellous colours from all aspects of the rainbow. Each new touch Azazel delivered to her caused another vibrant colour to flutter across her mind, its vividness welcoming her with open arms to her new world.
She pulled away from him, gasping for breath. “The colours…”
Azazel smiled and slid his hand around to her cheek, stroking her skin into new sensations. “Energy.”
She returned his smile and guided his face back down to hers to bask her in more delights of his expert touch. His slow massage of her tongue shot potent throbs straight between her legs. Her mind was begging for him to remove her clothes, she ached to feel him skin to skin. Not realising he could read her thoughts, he complied with her request, whipping her clothes from her in a matter of seconds.
“Your wish is my command.”
“You can read my thoughts? But I thought…?”
“I’ll explain later,” he said, his own clothes dissolving from his sculpted body to press them together, body to body.
She couldn’t help the moan that escaped her as she felt his naked form against her. She nestled inside his body with such perfection it was as if they were made for each other. She wandered her hands across his solid flesh, drinking in every taut line, every defined muscle with a pleasure filled groan.
He glided his hands across her body, revelling in her feminine curves, her smooth skin, her almost inaudible moans of joy at their intimacy. He trailed spine shivering kisses across her neck and down to her perky breasts.
She flopped her head back, her long red hair cascading down like a waterfall as she gave him the access he desired. He tormented her with hot kisses, trailing them around her nipples, watching her shiver, and listening to her mind willing him to put his mouth on it. As he finally closed his velvet lips around it with a tantalizing slow pace, she shuddered in his arms as his tongue gently lapped her into involuntary convulsions. He kissed his way across her chest, treating her to the same delights all over again.
She didn’t even realise he had laid her down until the soft fur of the rug warmed her back, the flames from the fire heating her from the outside whilst Azazel boiled her insides with his delightful touches.
He wandered over her body with his soft mouth, leaving hungry kisses in a trail of thirst across her stomach. He kissed his way down the inside of each quivering thigh, a knowing smirk gracing his handsome features.
She wiggled underneath him, eager for his mouth between her legs, her dampness telling of her craving for him. He kissed his way across her pubic bone, and walked his fingers down the inside of her thighs, teasing her to new heights of pleasure as she waited for her moment, her need, to be met.
After what seemed like an age of her breathless state increasing his smile, he seated his lips on her with a deliberate slow pace. Her muscles clenched together as he brushed a gentle kiss across her hood, spiralling her down into new promises of joy. He played out a delicious rhythm across her delicate bud with his tongue, giving her waves of ecstasy ridden exhaustion as she succumbed to him over and over again.
Satisfied with himself, Azazel kissed his way up her body, sliding his fingers inside her as she trembled below him. He found her sweet spot, a smirk passing over him as she cried out and twitched at his blissful massage.
She ran her hands through her hair, a sheen of sweat coating her forehead as she continued to quake under his skilled strokes of satisfaction.
Closing her eyes, she relished fully in the force of the sensations washing over her. She gripped the plush red fur underneath her as he persisted in making her squirm.
He placed a soft kiss on her cheek, easing his fingers out of her with a gentle tease. She opened her eyes, smiling at him with flushed cheeks as she tried her hardest to steady her ragged breathing.
“You could have had this days ago,” he whispered, nibbling her earlobe.
She giggled, wrapping her arms around his broad, solid back. “You shouldn’t have been such an arse.”
He grinned, a mixture of amusement and yearning swimming through his eyes as he looked down at her. His thoughts were running wild with things he wanted to say to her. He nuzzled into her neck and settled himself between her legs. His want for her caused him a pulsating pain as his hardness throbbed, needing its own relief.
Biting his lip to stop him saying something he shouldn’t, he floated them both to new heights as he moved his way through her, finally satiating both of them. He ran his hands through her hair as she dug her nails into his back, his size stretching her out to a fullness she had never yet experienced.
She gasped as he reached her at his hilt and burrowed her face in his neck. She caressed his smooth skin with her own kisses of heaven, smiling as he shuddered from her tender touch. His movements increased as she turned him on even more with a gentle nibble of his neck.
Before she could even ask, he allowed his form to come through just enough to give him his needle-like teeth. With a delicate, loving kiss on her neck, he spread his lips, his teeth pricking her perfect skin with a slow yet enticing tempo. When he finally sank through to her blood, she gasped and tightened around him as her core filled with an arousing swell of promise. As her life essence flowed down his throat, his movements became firmer and more promising with each thrust of his hip
s.
She moved her head to the side, giving him more access to her as she whispered, “Deeper.”
He groaned at her simple word, his teeth sinking further into her at her request. She coiled her legs around his back, driving him further inside her, desperate to take as much of him as she could. Another sweet release was gifted to her only seconds later, as his own excitement spilled into her. He continued to move in and out of her as he struggled to accept this was it. He wanted more of her, he couldn’t get enough.
“Azazel,” she whispered, dropping her legs from around his back as she panted for her breath.
Her racing heartbeat only served to pump more of her sweet life essence into his mouth. He wanted to see more of her life, to sieve through every memory she ever had, to know her better than she knew herself.
His self-control took over, easing him from her neck. He placed a tender, affectionate kiss on the two holes he had created in her porcelain skin, healing her in an instant.
His own breathing was short and hurried as he looked down at her, a grin spreading across his features.
“Well, that was worth the wait.”
Kyla smirked, her tongue licking over her parted lips. “Was it?”
He chuckled before silencing her with a kiss, amused at her hands writhing across his muscled chest as she pushed him off.
“Ewww. Drink some water first,” she said.
He laughed before producing himself a glass of water, washing her away from his lips before committing her to a deep, intense kiss. She roamed up and down his body with her hands, revelling in their connection. She had basked the entire time in the floods of colours that his touch produced in her mind, she was bewitched by them, her craving for his touch only serving to wave more vivid colours through her mind.
“What are all these colours?” she asked, breaking their kiss with a curious gaze.
Azazel swallowed a lump as he whispered, “It means we’re soul mates.”
Chapter XXVI
Sex, Lies & Demon Ties (Dark Desires #1) Page 12