I shrugged. “Curses are never a simple matter, so it’s hard to say.”
“This is so strange,” she mused.
“Which part?” I asked. “Is it the part about you having lunch at a café in the demon realm? Or were you referring to the situation with your friend?”
“Both,” she replied with a laugh. “There are times when I feel totally in control, like I can handle anything. Then, there are times when it seems like too much. I feel like this must be someone else’s life. It can’t be mine.”
“I know this isn’t where you pictured ending up, but it’s not that horrible,” I pointed out.
“I know it’s not that horrible,” she agreed. “Part of it is truly horrible, but not all of it.”
“You’ll like living here,” I assured her.
“I haven’t agreed to live here yet,” she reminded me.
I had to bite back my argument. I didn’t want to force her to stay. I’d seen how that had worked for Hades several times. At the same time, I didn’t want to act like Rainer, who’d allowed Evangalina to live apart from him for years. While he was talking about changing his situation with Evangalina, I worried he’d simply go the other route. There had to be something in between. There had to be a compromise—a way to make Beatrice want to stay here with me. I just needed to know what would make her happy so I could give it to her.
Reaching across the table, I took her hand in mine. My thumb stroked the pulse at her wrist, and I was satisfied when her lips parted slightly and her eyes darkened with desire from my touch.
“Tell me what you need, Beatrice,” I coaxed.
Chapter 54
Beatrice
As Lucifer’s deep voice wrapped around my body and his thumb continued to stroke my wrist, I had trouble focusing on his question. I wanted to run my hands all over his sinful body. Based on his slightly upturned lips, I was certain he knew my thoughts.
“Well?” he pushed in that same sinfully dark voice.
“Well what?” I asked him, my own voice a little breathy.
He chuckled at my bewildered expression. “I was asking what you need. To stay here,” he explained. “I want to know what will make you happy here. I can’t live in the human realm. It’s forbidden for fallen angels to live there.”
That bit of information came as a surprise.
“Even Rainer?” I asked. He’d lived among witches for a short time, but I knew he was also a fallen angel.
“Even Rainer,” he replied. “There are few who hold high ranks among two species. Rainer and Xavier are exceptional, but that doesn’t make them exceptions to the rules.”
“But Rainer went to a witch school,” I argued. “When he dated Evie, he was living in the human realm. At least, that’s what Jezebel told me.”
Lucifer shook his head. “Rainer has an apartment with a direct portal to and from the human realm in his den.”
“He lives in the demon realm?” I asked. When he nodded, I continued. “Why put the portal in the den? Wouldn’t it be easier if the portal was at the front door?”
“It would, but portals to the human realm often interfere with protection spells used on homes. The magic simply isn’t compatible. A portion of Rainer’s apartment is in the human realm, but once you pass through the portal, you’re in his home in the demon realm.”
“Do you have a portal in your home?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Just the elevator. It can take me almost anywhere I want to go, so it’s better than a portal. A portal only links two pre-defined locations, like the den in Rainer’s human apartment links to the den in his demon realm home. My elevator is a much more complex spell. It links several locations.”
“That’s useful,” I remarked. “I suppose, if I agreed to live here, I could always use your elevator to travel to my jobs.”
“It has its limitations,” he explained. “I may have a better solution for you.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“You can set up an office in a building where you can use my elevator to get to work,” he replied. “With your growing list of patients, it only makes sense that they come to you. Another option would be to have an office in the demon realm. That would be my preference.”
“I’ve been thinking about setting up an office,” I admitted before quickly adding, “This doesn’t mean I’m agreeing to move in with you.”
“Of course not,” he agreed with a grin.
“Then why are you smiling?” I asked.
“You aren’t telling me you won’t move here,” he pointed out.
“But I still haven’t agreed to move here,” I reminded him again.
“This is a start,” he assured me before asking, “What else do you need?”
I shrugged. “I’m not really sure.”
“We’ll figure it out as we go,” he stated confidently. Releasing my hand, he got to his feet and walked around to my side of the table. When he was standing beside my chair, I allowed my gaze to move up his body until I reached his mouth. My gaze lingered on his full lips, watching as they parted when he groaned. He extended a hand, and when I took it, he pulled me to my feet. With a hand on my chin, he held me in place as his lips brushed against mine. The kiss might seem innocent to the other patrons of the restaurant, but it was enough to make my breath catch in my throat.
“How can I want you this much?” he murmured against my mouth before his tongue teased the crease of my lips, drawing a ragged whimper from the back of my throat. Giving in to our desire, he kissed me as his hand slipped around the back of my head to tangle in my hair.
By the time he released my lips, I was panting and clutching his shirt, desperate for more of his touch. His kiss always had this effect on me.
“What were you thinking about when you got distracted a little bit ago?” His voice was rough with arousal.
I blinked twice, trying to get my mind to focus on something other than my need to have this man again. “You naked,” I finally replied.
His eyes darkened. “Are you done eating?”
I nodded. “Where to next?”
“Back to my place,” he replied.
Chapter 55
Lucifer
After my night with Beatrice, I should be sated. At the very least, I shouldn’t be this desperate for her, but I was aching for her again. It was no exaggeration—my dick was throbbing against the zipper on my pants. I wanted in Beatrice. Now.
The trip back to my place was tense, but not in a bad way. We were both turned on, and our arousal only increased with each word or touch. With my hand on her lower back, I led Beatrice into my home, thankful I’d talked Lucy into taking the Hellhounds for the afternoon. I didn’t want to compete with them for Beatrice’s attention as soon as we walked in the door.
I wanted to take her as soon as I got her in the house—fuck her against the front door. That was a fantasy I intended to explore when we didn’t have Beatrice’s friend staying with us. For now, I needed to get her to my bedroom as quickly as possible.
I scooped her up in my arms.
“What are you doing?” she asked as I jogged up the stairs.
“What do you think I’m doing?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Jogging?” she asked. “Is this some new fad exercise? Jogging while carrying a witch?”
I chuckled. “You are a real smartass, aren’t you, Beatrice LaCroix?”
“That’s what I’ve been told,” she agreed. “I could walk to your room.”
“We’ll get there faster this way,” I assured her. How could this woman still be carrying on a conversation? Clearly, I needed to work harder to distract her.
As soon as we were in the room, I kicked the door shut and set her on her feet before pressing her against the door and kissing her.
Her hands immediately moved to the buttons on my shirt, practically tearing them off in her haste to get me naked. I wasn’t much better as I tried to tug her shirt over her head before growling in frustration
when I realized I needed to stop kissing her to accomplish that. I released Beatrice’s mouth just long enough to remove her shirt and toss it across the room. Beatrice pushed my shirt off my shoulders before her hands moved around to my back. When they touched the spot where my wings formed, I groaned, and my dick throbbed against my zipper. It wasn’t as arousing as it would be to have her touch my wings, but it came close.
“I am going to fuck you against this door until you scream my name,” I ground out against her mouth.
Chapter 56
Beatrice
The only response I could manage was a moan of desire.
His eyes locked with mine, and his lips hovered close to my mouth. He simply stayed like that, as if waiting for some signal.
“I like the way that sounds,” I replied in a strained voice. My legs were already shaky with need. “I want you in me now.”
With a sexy grin, he shook his head. “Not yet,” he murmured, dropping to his knees in front of me and stripping me out of my remaining clothes. My legs spread wider to give him better access, and his tongue stroked me lightly. “This will never do,” he mused before getting to his feet and placing both hands under my ass to lift me off the ground.
I wrapped my legs around Lucifer and rocked against him, loving his groan. It was nice knowing I wasn’t the only one experiencing this desperate need. He walked me over to the low chest of drawers at the other end of the room. With one hand, he cleared the top. I gasped when my ass touched the cold wood.
His lips claimed mine as one of his hands tangled in my hair to hold me in place. My legs gripped tighter as I struggled to get closer to him. Door sex, dresser sex, I didn’t care as long as Lucifer was in me soon. I was dying to have him. Lucifer’s lips left mine to kiss along my jaw until they were close to my ear. His hand held me in place by my hair as he uttered, “I’m going to devour you, little witch.”
I moaned, and my legs released their hold on Lucifer’s hips, allowing him to drop to his knees in front of me. His hands moved up my inner-thighs, spreading my legs for him. I draped my legs over his shoulders and watched as his mouth hovered close to me. My patience was wearing thin. I was about to smack him when he finally put his mouth on me. His tongue slid inside, thrusting in and out as my hands moved to his hair, gripping the soft locks.
Two fingers replaced his tongue as he suckled my clit. He was being too gentle, moving too slowly.
“More,” I pleaded. “Oh, goddess, please.”
Lucifer continued to suckle my clit gently as his tongue began to strum across me. His fingers curled and pressed against the right spot to make me nearly scream. I began to rock desperately against his fingers and mouth. His low rumbling growl vibrated against me, adding to the sensations that were driving me to the edge.
My movements became more desperate as his fingers continued to stroke the front of my channel while he worked my clit with his mouth. As my body tightened around his fingers, Lucifer groaned, but he didn’t stop his sensual assault on my body.
For endless moments, I hung on the edge of ecstasy, my release seeming just out of reach, until he sucked hard on my clit. I screamed and continued to rock against his face, clutching his hair, pressing him closer to my pussy.
Lucifer worked me through the last of my spasms, rising to his feet when I released his hair. I was about to speak until my eyes locked with his. His expression was hot and wild, and his hair was messy after having me tug at it. Without breaking eye contact, he stripped out of his clothes and grabbed a condom from the dresser. I allowed my eyes to move down his body so I could watch him slide the condom onto his erection.
My hands moved to his shoulders, and he lifted me from the dresser. My legs wrapped around his hips, and I reached between us to position the head of his cock at my entrance. Lucifer made a low rumbling sound as I moved down his dick. He turned and stalked across the room, pressing my back against the door so he could thrust into me.
This time, I didn’t care about the cold wood pressing against my skin; all I could focus on was Lucifer’s body in mine. He wasn’t gentle. Just as he’d promised, Lucifer fucked me hard against the door as I screamed and clawed at his shoulders.
“Perfect,” he ground out. “You feel so good.”
“Lucifer,” I whimpered loudly, unable to express how I felt. Each sensation was magnified after my orgasm. I was already tightening around him again when he began to thrust even harder and faster. My second orgasm was more intense than the first, and I screamed as the spasms rocked my body.
Distantly, I heard Lucifer’s shout of release.
It took me some time to recover. Lucifer carried me to the bed and laid me there. After disposing of the condom, he sat on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers along my cheek. I let out a contented sigh and smiled at him.
“That was incredible,” I breathed out.
“You are incredible,” he replied softly before lying beside me and gathering me in his arms. “You’re going to fall in love with me.”
“Arrogant ass,” I accused even though I suspected he was right.
Chapter 57
Desmond
We’d been at my cabin for three days. In that time, Zareya had become increasingly edgy. While I was trying to play it off like there was nothing to worry about, I was also growing concerned about our situation. We needed to move soon. People had come by the other section of the cabin twice already. I was concerned they’d bring someone to look at the spells on the cabin. If that happened, we could be screwed. The spells were good, but I didn’t intend to bet my life on how good.
I needed to kill someone who had a place I could hide Zareya. Killing a witch who used Beatrice’s counseling services would be best. I hated taking the form of a woman, but I’d do what it took to get to my sister. Unfortunately, my sister had only recently started seeing local patients, and I’d been unable to find a list of them. All I’d been able to find were out of town patients. My options hadn’t looked good until this morning when I found him.
As I approached the house, I shook my head in disgust when I thought about dealing with the familiar. I loathed lizards, but I wouldn’t have to deal with the annoying creature long.
I rang the bell and waited, the readymade sedation spell already in my hand. Soon, I’d have a new place to hide and be well on my way to getting my revenge.
Chapter 58
Beatrice
When my phone rang, I was pleased to see it was a call from the last client I hadn’t heard back from. His appointment was further out than the others, so he probably hadn’t felt as urgent a need to call me back.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Hi, Beatrice, it’s Garrick,” he began in a distracted tone. “Sorry it took me so long to call you back. I’ve had a lot going on.”
“That’s okay,” I assured him. “I needed to talk to you about rescheduling and possibly coming out my way for Theo’s next appointment.”
He hesitated before responding. “Are you planning to stop making house calls?”
“Yes, but this has more to do with some issues involving my brother,” I admitted.
“Isn’t your brother the one who tried to kill that witch from the Dupree family?” he asked. “As I recall, he also tried to kill another witch. Your council never found him, did they?”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “That’s the brother. He was in prison, but he’s escaped.”
“Damn,” he muttered. “I guess it’s a good thing you’re involved with Lucifer.”
“How did you hear about that?” I asked suspiciously.
“You must realize that everyone knows about that now,” he told me with a laugh. “It’s big news among witches everywhere.”
“Witches gossip too much,” I muttered.
“Should I be worried about your brother looking for me?” he asked. “I’m not sure how easy it is to find your patient lists. I’ve mentioned you in several discussion groups, so I’m sure people know I use your services. Of course, h
ow would your brother know to even look in those groups? It seems like finding a needle in a haystack.”
“You should be cautious,” I warned. “I’m not sure he could find you, but I wouldn’t bet on it.”
“What’s he look like?” he asked.
“He’s a few inches taller than me with black hair and blue eyes,” I replied. “His eyes are an unusual color. They glow, like mine.”
“I’ll keep my guard up and call the police if I see anyone matching that description,” he assured me.
“He probably won’t look like that,” I warned. “Don’t forget that he’s a shapeshifting warlock.”
There was a beat of silence before he responded. “That makes it much harder,” he added. “I suppose I’ll have to keep my guard up around everyone. Where do you want us to meet you for the next appointment?”
“I’ll message you the details,” I told him. “Lucifer is still working on finding a place.”
“Okay,” he replied. “You also said you need to reschedule.”
“Can you come in two days earlier, around one?” I asked.
“Do you have anything sooner?” he asked.
“Why?” I asked. “Has something happened with Theo?” Garrick had been the one to suggest waiting longer between appointments after our last session.
“He’s been really down,” Garrick replied.
“I’m booked solid, but I’ll let you know if I can get Theo in earlier,” I assured him. Under normal circumstances, I’d just drive out there now, but it was too dangerous.
“Okay,” he replied. “I’d better let you go.”
“I’ll see you in two weeks,” I told him.
After setting my phone down, I let out a sad sigh. Things had been going so well during my last visit with Theo. I’d hoped they would continue that way. I had to remind myself that these things couldn’t be rushed. Even with the breakthrough we’d made, there was still work to be done.
Undeniably Hellbound (Spells That Bind Book 4) Page 19