by S J Doran
His soft groan snapped her out of her haze and she remembered the need for air, nearly choking on it when he shifted beneath her.
“Is this going to hurt?” His voice had grown husky.
“Yes.” Rational thoughts were difficult with all of her focus centered on those sensual lips and the feel of his erection pressed against her.
“The time release of this poison is slower than your usual dosage. I need you coherent for a little while longer demon, stay with me?”
His fingers brushed through the length of her braid. His dark gaze transfixed upon the strands as he freed them from their bind only to watch them slowly rain back to her shoulder.
Her sigil upon his chest seemed to call for her touch. His breathing turned shallow, his body arching into hers as she trailed the outline with the tip of her finger. The intimacy of the caress unsettled her, it felt too natural, too raw. Yet somehow, she couldn't seem to bring herself to pull back.
“What are you planning Mara?”
She shrugged. “I’m going to help you correct a few things around here, so you won't have to do it alone.”
Another breathy moan, the light sheen of sweat coating his forehead and chest evidence that the poison had entered his bloodstream. As it ran its course, it would continue to heat his blood until it flowed like liquid fire through his body.
“Touch me Mara.”
Unlike alcohol which served to dull one’s wit and senses, poison helped ignite them. When surrendering to pain, awareness became distilled to nothing but sensation and need. “I want to feel...”
A guttural groan was her only warning before his hand moved to cup her breast, his touch finding a beading nipple hidden away behind the silk of her robe. He undulated beneath her, her head falling back as she arched into him, rocking against the delectable pressure of his straining shaft. Leather rubbing against silk, hard flesh pressing against soft heat.
Dark Gods, but what she would give to be able to have him… just once.
His eyes shone with a feverish glint as he looked up at her, his heated gaze reflecting her own thoughts back to her. “Let me have you Mara, we can figure it out later...”
She grinned down at him, while sternly reminding herself of all the reasons why giving in would be the wrong thing to do. “Sin-eater, one taste of me and you’d fall hopelessly in love. Then where would we be?”
His tongue flicked out, running along his bottom lip, his dark eyes on her. “My bed… for starters.”
Her nipple grew taut beneath his circling thumb, her mind fixating on images of his mouth closing around that peak to ease the ache. Heat and friction leading her into a slow madness, and she could feel herself fall into her own trap as her hips found that ancient rhythm, rising and falling together.
“Fuck!”
His cry echoed through the room, his power taking control, unrestrained and starved, demanding to be fed. The call of lust permeated the air, and she knew what... who would answer.
Her lips turned into a bitter smile as pressed into the demon to whisper by his ear, “three, two, one…”
“My Lord are you alright?”
Basileus’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her, before flooding with unconcealed loathing. The feeling was mutual. What made her stomach turn in revolt was not his arrival, but the sight of those same eyes growing hooded as they moved to linger on the sin-eater.
The demon's cheeks and chest were flushed, lips swollen as though he’d been thoroughly kissed— his eyes heavy-lidded and gleaming black. He looked as though he were close to ecstasy of pleasure rather than agony of pain. Her own hair was disheveled, the fold of her robes concealing their hips, her hand pressed over his chest to hide her sigil that he normally hid under glamour. For all intents and purposes, it looked as if the demon king were already feeding— from her.
She knew the precise moment Basileus reached that conclusion, for his expression went glacial.
“Priestess Amara, you’ve returned to the Nessus. I must say, I’m surprised.” His tone was mocking, heavy on the subtext.
She felt the subtle shiver run through Cassius as he became aware of Basileus’s presence. It had been a miniscule tell, wouldn’t have been noticeable to any who weren't literally sitting atop of him. But she had noticed, and it confirmed the power the Prince of Pleasures held over him.
The prince stepped into the library which served as the sin-eater's private bed chamber as though he ruled the ground he walked on. As though he was assured of his welcome and place. And it didn't escape her notice how he purposefully came around the right side, utilizing the demon's impaired vision to his advantage. Cassius flinched, and her hand moved to cup his cheek, while the other soothed by brushing her fingers through his hair.
Could he possibly remember some of what was done to him?
The demon had been forced to lose his mind, and been stripped of his soul— something one could not come back from. As much has she grieved the loss of her Cassius, she was grateful he’d forgotten the horrors he had suffered. Even if it meant he had forgotten her as well.
Perhaps she couldn’t kill a Prince of Hell without creating a conflict between their realms. But I sure as shit can force him back in his place.
“Are you surprised En-Basileus? You really shouldn't be. I came here to demand an answer as to why the power of the Nessus appeared to be waning, only to find it's king starved. The supply of infernal energy promised to Asurim is lacking. And as master of the harem I hold you responsible for this. Seems to me you have been serving your king poorly.”
A soft groan was the only response from the demon whose lap she occupied. His grip released her breast, only to wrap his arm around her waist, clinging to her. It was all the encouragement she needed.
“In light of the situation I see no other choice than to install some of my own warlocks into the king's harem to ensure his wellbeing. Have word sent to the Ninth temple that I have need of three master warlocks presented here for worship.”
The anger in his expression caused her lips to curl into a malevolent smile. He looked as if he wanted to nothing more than to strangle her. Like good old times.
“You have no authority here Priestess Amara, and you know how dangerous the Nessus can be to your kind. You and yours best stay to your own realm, we wouldn’t wish to see anyone get hurt.”
She was about to answer him with her own cutting retort, when her breath faltered. Instead of attacking the demon prince like she had intended, her back arched and her eyes drooped as a warm hand slipped between the folds of her robes.
“I'm not done with her...” Cass said on a hushed breath.
Cassius's own lusty groan was underscored by an angered growl coming from Basileus. “My lord, please allow me to serve you. No need to degrade yourself in this manner.”
His hands kept moving up and down her thighs as if to memorize the curve and texture. His lips were gentle in contrast as he reverently rained kisses down her throat, before burying his head in the crook of her neck. His voice a whisper by her ear. “Mara. Don’t leave.”
She opened her eyes to stare into that feverish dark gaze, her own voice grown thick with emotion she didn't recognize. “I am not going anywhere, demon.”
Despite her resolution to keep her wits about and to play the game, she could feel herself succumbing to his caress. Her heartbeat erratic, her breaths falling in short and uneven spurts, each rocking thrust causing heat to spread through her belly to pool wetly between her thighs.
Already she ached, an empty sensation which made her yearn for the feel of his fingers on her, inside of her, readying her for him. “Demon, please...” She had meant to say stop, but that word turned to ash upon her tongue.
“I've fantasized about touching you, never imagined you’d be this responsive..."
“My lord, I must object to this, the harem is my domain and the warlocks have no place in it. Use their kind to serve us, to worship us, but don't defile yourself with them.”
The shudder of revulsion jolted down her spine before she had a chance to harden herself. And beneath her, the demon froze, awareness flaring through his heated gaze.
Cass’s eyes glittered dangerously. “Are you going to defile me priestess?” His voice lowered into a rasp that sent an aching shudder through her core, “shall I degrade myself by doing filthy things to this delectable body?”
His words were accentuated by his hands sweeping up her legs, thumbs dragging up inner thighs. Squeezing her legs against them doing nothing but intensifying the throbbing inside of her.
“Cassius. She is a warlock.” Basileus spat out the word, rage plain on his smarmy tongue.
Cass’s hands stilled, the charge in the air altered, becoming something darker, and infinitely more dangerous.
“Do as she has commanded, Bas. And leave us - before I do something to you we'll both regret.” His voice was even, tempered and full of ill-concealed menace.
Desire soured in her belly, turning over when she picked up the imprint of Basileus’s own lust entwined within his rage and resentment.
“As you wish, my king.” And as the Prince of Pleasures finally turned to leave, it was with the unspoken understanding this would not be the last of it.
“Demon…”
She wasn't sure what she’d been about to say, whatever had been in her mind vanished as soon as his lips crushed hers. The nausea within her eased by his touch, the cold encasing her insides banished by his embrace, the horrors of the past silenced by his lips. And all she wanted in that moment was to surrender to that kiss, to lose herself in it.
Instead, she bit him.
“What the hells!” His head snapped back from her, his expression one of confusion and shock. Then a flash of excitement flared within feverish eyes at the taste of his own blood upon his lip.
“Incorrigible kinkster...”
Her thumb brushed away the beading crimson.
“Me? You’re the one that bit me!”
He held her firmly in place, moving close enough for his lips to brush against her own as he spoke. “Why did you bite me Mara?”
Her fingers caressed the hard set of his jaw until she felt him relax once more. “To remind you that even loyal dogs will bite unless kept firmly in hand. You are the master not the dog, don't ever let him dominate you. He is not in control of you, neither him or your father own you, you gave them that power.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came. Instead, his muscles seized, his entire body arching up. Finally, he let out an agonized groan from between clenched teeth. “Sin?”
He bucked up, robbing her of breath and sanity as he ground himself into her. “I’m starved Mara. I held on… tried… won’t be able to hold back much longer...”
“Oh hells…” She stared in fascination as his gaze flooded from darkest brown to deepest black, his body growing hot and feverish beneath her touch. “It’s the poison at work. This is where the real fun starts for you, demon.”
With a swift motion she moved off his lap, pushing aside clumsy fingers as he fumbled with the closure of his pants, helping to ease the leather down long and muscular legs. His cock was indecently large, arched up perfectly towards his navel, his hand wrapping around it as soon as it was freed from the confines of the tight leather.
Once bared, she let her eyes wander over the perfection of his body.
He was the embodiment of sin, everyone's wicked desire made flesh. An ambitious design, and a difficult burden to carry. Long ago she had been fool enough to believe him made for her alone, that she could keep and cherish him. That dream had been the first one stolen.
It’s not him… my demon is dead.
“Put your lips on me, let me fuck your mouth. Let me have you!”
She placed a chaste kiss against the thunderous beat of his heart, right below her sigil. “Such a romantic you are…”
That moment of mindless madness, that stolen moment of shared recklessness had shattered. Sense and reality ruled once more, causing her to step away from him. “It can never be me, Sin.”
Without a soul he was safe from Namtar's curse. He didn't love her now, nor would he ever. But the death god would not spare the demon should he discover what he had once been to her. He wanted leverage, and would have it if he ever learned how much the demon still meant to her.
Still? Dark gods she was a glutton for punishment.
“You are a pain in the ass at times demon, but I am not risking you.”
A soft knock on the door preceded the entrance of three exquisite warlocks. Ignoring the pang of idiotic jealousy that tried to rise within her, Amara beckoned them forward.
“His mind is afflicted by poison and his body weakened by hunger. You will serve him, feed him with your lust, care for him with your own bodies. You will see him regenerated and empowered. In three days, you return to Asurim, and will never speak of what transpired within this room. Are we understood?”
Three days was all she could risk, lest the corruption of the Nessus began to affect their minds. She would need to work out a rotation between the temple and the harem to see to his needs and her warlocks’ safety.
All three bowed low, her orders beyond questioning. Not that they would—she could already sense their excitement, their anticipation evident as they set to assist each other in a show of disrobing.
At the sight of their exposed flesh, Cassius moved, his arms spreading in welcome as the two females and the male moved to join him. He was safe for now, would be well looked after. Which meant it was time for her to leave.
She reached for her discarded bag, a hard pull had her reeling back, turning in place to come face to… chest… with a very disgruntled, and very naked sin-eater. Again she tried to step back, her retreat halted by his too-tight grip around her wrist.
“Sin, I can’t be part of this...”
His fingers dug into her flesh, a wordless command for her to stay, to which she lifted her brows at him. “You do remember what happened last time you decided to go caveman.”
She had expected the heat and excitement in his gaze, but not the spark of stubbornness. The poison had left his brain muddled, but it had done absolutely nothing for his obstinacy.
“You stay, or they go and I starve.”
He would too, of this she had no doubt. One trait the sin-eater and her demon seemed to share was that rational thought always flew straight out the window when the mind was set on something.
Unfair as it was, this meant that if Glasya managed to gain upper hand on him while he was too weakened to deal with her, she would be partially responsible. Because she could have stayed. Perhaps she was using logic to twist her desire into rationality. Because the selfish, prideful, and foolish side of her wanted to stay, wanted him to want her.
“Stay…” His voice sounded like a plea, effectively eradicating what little remained of her resolve.
She didn't answer him, instead her hand closed over his before pulling him along towards his bed. He followed.
Rather than lay down upon the massive poster bed, she pressed herself up against the heavily carved headboard, guiding him to come sit between her legs. Without hesitation he laid back against her, his head coming to rest upon her shoulder as she pressed a kiss against his forehead.
“You're incorrigible, demon.”
She was rewarded with a smile that made his dark eyes spark, and for a moment she could almost imagine it was ember fire within.
“And you're delectable, priestess.”
She reached for his wrists, moving his arms behind him, his hands against her waist. “As long as your hands remain here, I’ll stay…”
He sighed in anticipation when she nodded at the three waiting warlocks, giving them permission to approach.
Fingers clenched her sides, his heated breath on her neck as his lips and tongue lapped against her throat. “More...” He rasped out. His hold on her eased, his back bowing when t
he lithe blonde warlock woman closed her sultry mouth around his engorged crown.
The second female sat on her hands and knees before them. And only at Amara's nod did she approach to hungrily claim the sin-eater's mouth in a deep kiss. Finally, the third, an exceptionally well-built male joined. His gaze riveted on her and the demon in her arms, as he moved to stand behind the female kissing the demon.
Her teeth caught her bottom lip as she watched him spread the female’s thighs further apart, before slowly sinking his hard cock deep inside her.
The woman moaned, and Cassius purred as he pulled Mara's bottom lip free, before sinking his own teeth into that plump flesh. She was dizzy with wanting him, the blurred lines easing as she felt their bond connection fading to the background, as it should be. As it had to remain.
She broke off their kiss, looking into his eyes, committing his look to memory, along with all the other looks of desire that had belonged to her alone. At one time, they had been each other’s worlds.
Not my demon… a different lifetime...
The thrusting grew more frantic, and so did the sucking as female who was being taken from behind grew greedy and joined the other, their tongues tangling over the demon’s shaft.
He thrust up the moment her tongue slid along one of the tight orbs of his sack, filling the others throat, while blindly reaching for flesh, his hands leaving her waist.
The tip of her tongue traced along the curve of his ear while holding him tightly. He groaned, his fingers grasping for her waist.
“Too late demon. Feed and listen. You are king of the nine Hells and ruler to all its denizens. Make them bow to you, whether they fear you or love you it matters not, as long as they do it while on their knees.”
He shuddered, his hands trying to grab hold of flesh, but she held him tightly. “Nuh uh, easy on ladies… don’t let him cum just yet.”
This earned her a snarl that would send any other creature running. “Mara… I ...NEED...”
She bit into the sensitive lobe of his ear. “Can you do it demon, force them all to their knees?”
His arms broke free from her hold as he stretched down to pull his cock free from their greedy mouths. Instead he guided the blonde roughly up to his waist, and impaled her with a single hard thrust. “I can…” His head falling back as he buried himself fully inside her. “I will...”