by JL Madore
That outing was the first time in months he’d truly forgotten about the world around him and his messed-up life. He touched the screen and sighed. If only he could capture that feeling.
“Am I interrupting?” Cassi asked from the doorway.
Kyrian grabbed his shirt from where he’d tossed it on the desk and shrugged it onto his shoulders. “I just checked in with the home front. S’all good.”
“With the Sumerian’s wife?”
He finished with the last of the buttons and strode over to greet her. Her damp hair, brushed out, hung almost to her waist. It accented the navy, silk robe she wore over a clean, ivory babydoll nightie. Yep, she pretty much struck him stupid.
“You love her.”
He blinked, jarred from thoughts of when Cassi would be well enough for him and his beast to ravish her. “I’m sorry, what?”
She held out her hand and offered a sad smile. “Do you mind if I see?”
He hesitated. Part of him minded very much. Cassi tried to have Austin killed, tried to eliminate the one true source of happiness he and his brother had been blessed with in their entire, miserable, lonely existence.
She dropped her hand and stroked the silk tie to her robe. “I see. I suppose I deserve that.”
Shit. “Cassi, it’s just . . . you weren’t there when your father killed Austin. It gutted me. It destroyed Zander. And then you tried to have her killed as well. I want to trust you—I do—but Austin is precious to us.”
“A precious human.” Her tone highlighted just how little she understood about anything beyond these castle walls. She turned and started back up the hall.
He pocketed his phone and followed. Denying her smacked of betrayal—especially after the past hours of praying for a chance to share his life with her—but he had Austin to protect too. And the baby. “Austin is more than her species, Cassi. Like you are. Like I am.”
Her teeth snapped together as her fingers curled into fists at her sides. “Then don’t let me keep you. I’m over the starvation. Go back to your pet.”
Kyrian stalked behind her, lured by the scent of both fear and fury. His beast paced within him, a predator tracking its prey. The hem of that little nightie brushed the back of her alabaster thighs. Her silk robe glistened as the sheen stretched over the rounds of her perfect ass. And her legs—yeah, he could split the front of his jeans just watching her catwalk strut.
But where his beast wanted her body, Kyrian wanted her heart. He knew the difference between what he felt for Austin and what he felt for Cassi. He just didn’t know what to share with her to get her to trust him . . . or even look at him. “I admit I love her, but I’m not in love with her, if that’s what you think.”
He may have gotten confused on that for a bit, but his head was straight now. It wasn’t Austin that he’d longed for. It was everything she represented: a mate, a confidant, a lover . . . his own happily ever after.
“She’s quite attractive.”
That felt like a loaded gun pointed to his temple. He wasn’t sure whether to agree or not, so he pled the fifth.
When they arrived at the door to her private chambers, she turned and blocked his way. “Your sexual preference was part of the file Devious gathered before I met you in that club. You aren’t very discreet for an aristocratic male. So many women, sometimes two or three a night.”
Kyrian cursed inwardly as he read the agony in her golden gaze. “I . . . uh, handled the past few months badly. If I knew then that I’d be standing here with you, I would have done things differently.”
“That’s what I don’t understand. I’m no one special, yet here you are.” She crossed her arms over her chest, exposing hard nipples beneath the silk. “Kyrian of Thebes born in ancient Greece. Even if you took one lover a year, that is thousands. The fact that you take lovers nightly, and often several, that’s an astounding number of females.”
She was his mate. She had every right to be furious, but he couldn’t change the past. “It sounds worse than it is. These past months, I was out of sorts. Other times, I took no lovers at all.”
“Regardless, it’s still many thousands.”
His beast snarled, the quiver in her voice tearing at his control. He closed the distance between the two of them and she stepped back, crossing the threshold into her chambers. “This conversation gets us nowhere, Cassi.”
He eased closer, brushing his fingers against her cheek. He needed to make her understand. Needed to feel closer to her, not like she was retreating further. “I never once thought any female would give two shits about me. I am sorry.”
“Why apologize? I’m simply one, in a long line of female conquests.”
“Don’t say that. Don’t think that.”
“What would you think if my lovers listed in the hundreds? Thousands, even?”
Kyrian froze. Predatory rage built inside him until his beast burst forth. His Mark burst into a supernova. His chest vibrated with a growl that was more feral animal than man. “Let’s be thankful I’m your first. It saves the bloodshed.”
She stepped back, and he tracked her, matched her retreat. “Why does it matter? You’ve either had, or could have, any female in the three realms, all of them strong or beautiful or seductive, beyond anything I am or will ever be. Why pursue me? This spark between us twists both our lives into knots.”
He scrubbed a palm over the stubble of his jaw and exhaled. What could he tell her that she’d believe? That the universe mated them? That he was her destined other half? That his beast had claimed her for his own. That if things went the same way for him as they did for Zander, he’d transition into a hostile, possessive dark angel?
Yeah, he was quite a catch all right.
Cassi had so much to learn about herself. He wanted that for her, for her to come into her own, to rule her people with the boundless strength and compassion he saw growing in her. He didn’t want his beast to be an oppressive force, caging her for her safety and his own sanity.
Maybe he could feed her and let her live a better life without him. Or, maybe they could go the ‘friends with benefits’ route, and he could be her dirty little secret. It wasn’t ideal, but he’d do anything to ensure he didn’t lose this connection altogether.
He thought about his advice to Zander, months ago. If you think letting her walk after you’ve tasted all her naked bits will be easier, you’re bullshitting yourself, as well as me.
Well, wasn’t irony a nasty bitch.
“I hate it when you do that.” Cassi threw her hands into the air. Turning on her heel, she stormed through her ante-room and into the sitting area of her chambers. Unlatching the shutters, she swung them back and exposed the view to the courtyard below. Her sense of time was off from being sick. She was disoriented enough without wondering what time of day it was.
“What did I do?”
“I ask you questions and you stare at me but say nothing. One day, perhaps I can be part of the conversation going on in your head.”
A wicked smile spread across Kyrian’s face and her core began to weep. “All right, but I warn you, I censor my thoughts for your benefit, not mine.”
“I don’t want censored, Kyrian. Men have censored what I know and hear my whole life, and I’m tired to death of it. I want to break free of this shell I’ve been kept in. I want more.”
Kyrian nodded. “Very well. More is what you shall have.” Head down, eyes locked, he stalked forward, all muscle and strength, coiled to pounce. “Whether we meant for it to happen or not, whether it’s a good idea or not, this heat between us is a once in a lifetime strike of lightning. I feel that to the depths of my tainted soul and wonder how to convince you of it too.”
He touched her hair, stroked it from her shoulder down to where it covered her breast. She gasped as the backs of his fingers brushed over hard peak of her nipple. “I want more too though, Cass. I want more than your body. I want your laughter and your smiles. Things I never wanted from any female, ever.”
&nb
sp; Before she could question him, protest, or answer, he slid a hand up the inside of her thighs. His hunger beckoned a rush of heat and he drew lazy fingers through the moisture he called from her. The sway of his body as he sucked on those glistening digits nearly had her undone.
A sizzling, predatory glimmer sparked in his eyes. “You trigger a primal side of me, Cassi. You don’t understand how dangerously I need you right now. It’s agonizing.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her body against his and nipped his jaw. She was equally fascinated and terrified by his declaration, but she had asked for honesty. “I need things too. For now, let your beast free and ease your suffering. We’ll figure out tomorrow when tomorrow comes.”
Kyrian’s hands slid under her robe and cupped the rounds of her ass. Squeezing gently, he tugged her closer. He wet his lips as he contemplated her words. “I’m not strong enough to refuse you, Cassi. If you invite me into your bed, be certain.”
His voice had softened, and it stirred an alarming yearning. “I’m sure, Kyrian. Pleasure me as a lover—not an anonymous female in a bar, not a stolen touch between enemies, as a male who wants to lose himself in a female he desires.”
“From your lips,” he said, “let it be so.”
A shiver moved through her at the dark finality of his tone. He hitched an arm under her legs and laid her out on the cool, clean sheets. His dark side paced dangerously close to the surface, its presence visible in the dark shadows of his eyes.
The rush of delight that swept through her was ridiculously powerful. “How can this be natural?”
He stripped off his clothes and crawled up the length of her body. “It’s not natural. It’s beyond that. Beyond understanding or fighting or denying. Less thinking, Cass. More feeling.”
He caged her with his delicious body and burned her with a searing gaze. “Like a lover this time. Trust me.”
He kissed her deeply, licking into her mouth in that way of his. His rock-hard body hovered just over hers, brushing against her thighs and breasts, coaxing her need. His torso radiated sultry heat, his tight with an anticipation she shared.
She wouldn’t fight. Wouldn’t deny that she wanted him beyond all reason. The world beyond her bed held no interest. In that moment, there was only her, Kyrian and desire.
“So beautiful.” He knelt between her knees and sat back on his heels. With his gaze focused on the sheer fabric of her nightgown, he pushed up the filmy top. Strong fingers splayed as he caressed her abdomen and ribs. He bit his lip as he met the rise of her breasts.
“Thank you for trusting me with your body. I swear I won’t do anything you aren’t ready for.” His gaze narrowed on her, as if seeking permission to continue. He was pure, primal male; the embodiment of everything her species coveted.
“I know that, and want you to be yourself, Kyrian. Your whole self. No censoring, remember.”
The animalistic growl that tore from his chest came straight from the darkest side of him. His Mark lit the room. He pulled the tie for her top and slid if over her head. His need was palpable as he laid notched the head of his cock right where she ached, his features tight with lust.
“Wrap your legs around me. Do it. Now.”
Lifting her legs, she hooked her heels around his thighs. The shift in positions tilted the angle of her hips.
His eyes rolled back, and he stroked against her wet flesh. “Fuck, you’re so tight. I’ll hurt you if you don’t relax.”
She licked her dry lips, so insanely turned on she couldn’t understand. “Then hurt me. I need you now.”
He cursed softly in her ear and pushed deep. The stretch of unfamiliar invasion did hurt. It hurt good. It stung, tightening in the sensitive nerve endings which gripped him.
Her fangs descended, and she snapped her teeth at him.
“You like a rough entry, baby? Does the sting trigger things deep inside you? A heated rush? An ebbing hunger building hot and frenzied at your core.”
Yes. “Less talk. More fucking.”
Kyrian chuckled as he tilted his head away, exposing the smooth column of his neck. “My luscious demon lover. Have at it, Cassi. Take from me while I take from you.”
Kyrian nearly orgasmed as Cassi struck his vein. His rhythm faltered, but he soon recovered and thrusted into her with all the frenzied lust raging through him. His mate might be new to sex, but her demon side made her aggressive and demanding. And how sexy was that. If she wanted him untethered, she was in luck. His beast had passed the point of control and reveled in the taking of the female nature had set aside just for him.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he said, his voice demented. He pounded and thrust, his orgasm tightening in his balls, fighting for release. Not yet.
The bite of her fangs in his flesh lit him up like nothing ever had. To know that his blood sustained her. That his strength ran in her veins, his sweat covered her skin and his cum would soon slick her insides once again . . . fuck yeah.
Sharp nails scored his back as his hips nailed her to the mattress with wild, fierce drives.
“Yes, that,” she gasped, throwing her head back. “That.”
He reared enough to grab her hands and pin her wrists above her head. The shift in position had her breasts arching up at him. He wished he had more hands, so he could play with her breasts as he plunged hard and fast, dripping in sweat.
“Cassi . . .” Something grabbed hold of his cock inside her. His heart thundered in his ears as sensations bombarded. Some demon races had sex-quirks. He hadn’t considered . . . oh fuck.
Cassi’s breathing hitched, and whatever gripped him inside her, milked him harder. Her orgasm brewed in the air and he fought to hold off his own. A desperate cry escaped her lips and he nearly lost his mind.
“I’ve never been so hard and thick, Cassi. I’m so deep inside you . . . Feel me pounding inside you.”
Her response was immediate and thank the heavens for that. Her orgasm possessed him, her insides squeezing and rippling around him. Breathless, he rammed into her, sinking deep in one fierce drive. Hard as stone, he lost his mind, his body convulsing in waves.
The universe dissolved around him. There was nothing but Cassiane panting and trembling in his arms. He rolled to her side and gathered her tight to his chest. As she levelled back to awareness, he tasted her skin, his mouth sliding over her shoulder, against her throat.
“That was—” she hesitated, drawing a deep, steadying breath—“unbelievable.”
He swallowed and removed the condom he wore. “Beyond unbelievable. True perfection.”
“What is that?” she asked, pointing to the latex sheath. “You had one of those in the bathroom too.”
“Protection, sweet Cass, to keep you from conceiving my young.” The look of realization and self-recrimination on her face made him fall even harder. “Don’t worry. Until you’ve learned the way of things, I will ensure you are safe.”
“Do you have more of those?”
Kyrian smiled, her intensions glinting in her citrine eyes. She arched against the sheets and his cock heeded the call to action. “An endless supply, love. Absolutely endless.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Cassi hadn’t been this happy since her mother and brother were alive and their family thrived, intact. It struck her how long that had been, how long since she’d truly felt light of heart. And though the pressures of her life as Shedim Master threatened to weigh her down, she chose to take a much-needed withdrawal from the worry and responsibility of the world. The past two days, she and Kyrian had only left her bed to bathe or to answer the door when Sabine brought up their meals.
It had been glorious. Truly decadent.
She laughed as her warrior lover stalked closer, a now familiar look in his eyes warning her that his dark side wanted to ascend and take control. It felt, at times, as though Kyrian was actually two men: the skilled assassin of the Otherworld and the hauntingly dangerous part of himself he struggled to restrain—his be
ast.
“Hungry again, are you warrior?”
“Famished,” he said, biting his lip. “My appetite for you is insatiable.”
She laughed as he gripped the tie on her robe, his fingers making quick work on the barrier between him and what he wanted. “Who knew a Watcher could be so playful.”
Kyrian kissed the tip of her nose, his eyes lit with a devious delight. “Oh, I can play, love. I am a veritable cat intent on his prey. Would you like to play along with me?”
She ached to touch him, to have him touch her. “Isn’t that what we’ve been doing for days?”
“Not like this. Let’s call this game, Hide and Peak. You hide and each time I find you, I make you climax in a different way.”
She couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her throat. Her pulse pounded, the strength of his blood in her veins a heady aphrodisiac. “What if I want to make you climax? I may be inexperienced, but I’m a quick study. Fair is fair after all.”
He eyed her suspiciously, a flash of challenge in his eyes. “We’ll go three rounds. I don’t have the strength to hold off any longer than that. Each of the first two rounds, either I’ll bring you to completion or you’ll service me . . . and then we’ll begin the next round.”
“And the third round?”
The pure lust he exuded had her locking her knees so she didn’t end up on the floor. “Hide anywhere within the family suite. I’ll give you a count of thirty, and then I’ll have another count of thirty to find you. Winner claims his prize.”
“Or her prize,” she corrected. “And thirty? Do you realize how big this place is? I need—”
“Four . . . five . . . times a-wasting female . . . six . . .”
Cassi turned and bolted down the hall. Her body was on fire. This was insane. She wasn’t a child. The sexy rumble of Kyrian’s countdown had her almost in a frenzy. She raced along the corridor, her bare feet silent on the runner. Perfect. Her grandfather’s armoire. It was—damn—full. She could—
The possessive rumble of his voice echoed up the hall. “Twenty-three . . . I’m so fucking turned on right now, Cassi. I’m on fire, sweetheart . . . twenty-four . . .”