This time the green held for a few seconds before being engulfed once more, sucked beneath those inky pools.
She took in his straining body, all of it, unable to miss the massive erection that lay against his defined, currently crimson stomach. His hips jerked at her scrutiny. Well, as much as they could against the thick leather band around his ribs. He groaned as if her gaze had caressed him, eased his hurt.
“I think it’s helping,” she said, glancing up at Brent.
Brent’s eyebrows rose to meet his hairline. “So, it’s true. You’re Lazarus’s mate?”
She nodded.
“Your voice is forcing back his demon.” He waved her forward, while keeping a safe distance himself. “Touching him might help. Just be careful.”
If there was a small chance she could help him, she’d do whatever it took. Taking another step closer, careful not to step on his beautiful wings, she moved to the head of the table. Brent remained silent when she lifted a shaky hand to gently stroke his forehead.
The color of his eyes continued to flicker while he grunted and growled incoherently. Then it started, the purring sound she’d heard him make back at the compound, a deep rumble that vibrated from his chest. He pressed back as much as he could, rubbing his face against her hand.
She carried on stroking him and the sound got louder.
His horns were shiny black and she couldn’t resist touching them as well, running her fingers over a glossy tip. His entire body jerked.
“Don’t stop what you’re doing,” Brent whispered from his spot on the other side of the room.
She continued to speak to him, keeping her voice low and soothing. Then the black washed from his irises for several seconds, and though they were darker than their usual pale green, they were Lazarus’s eyes, and the fear she saw there broke her heart. Without thinking, she leaned down and kissed his forehead. His skin felt as leathery as it looked and cool against her lips.
“I’m here, Lazarus,” she whispered.
A roar tore from his throat at her words and she staggered back. His body shook then torqued violently on the table. The tendons strained in his neck and across his chest and he jerked several times. Just like that, his body shifted back, besides the wings which still sprouted from his back and lay limp across the floor.
“Lazarus?”
“Don’t stop now, he needs more,” Brent said carefully.
“What should I do?”
Brent’s gaze moved over Lazarus then lifted to hers. “I think you know what he needs, Eve.” His eyes softened. “Will you give it to him?”
Still stroking his heated skin, she looked down Lazarus’s magnificent body, hard and straining. Yes, she knew what she had to do. Without looking up, she nodded. She’d do anything to help him, and she knew deep in her heart he’d do the same for her.
“Don’t stop.” Lazarus’s voice was a mixture of pleasure and pain. He’d responded to her touch and her body heated, moisture rushing to her sex in reply.
“It’s okay, Brent. I can take it from here.” She couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze.
“Are you sure?” He sounded reluctant to leave. “I can stay. I’ll turn my back.”
Nothing but concern filled his voice, and she realized for him, being in a room with others having sex was no big deal.
“Thank you, but I’ll be okay. He won’t hurt me.” Lazarus would never purposely harm her, she knew that much.
“Don’t untie him. The table’s strong and can hold several people at once…” His gaze moved back to Lazarus’s trussed-up form. “Just…be careful.”
She nodded. “I will.”
“I’ll be right outside the door if you need me.” Then he turned and left the room.
Running gentle fingers over his damp skin, Eve looked down at the pained expression on Lazarus’s face. “What should I do?”
He was panting, eyes wild. “Eve…please…I need you.” His body surged up again.
She didn’t know if she really was Lazarus’s mate, but she couldn’t stand to see him this way, and if she could ease his pain she would. She wanted to be the one to help him.
She just wanted him.
The desperate, pained sounds coming from him sealed her fate. She left the head of the table and moved down his body.
“Don’t leave me.” The agony in his voice shredded her.
“I’m not going anywhere. I promise I won’t leave you.” She reached over and stroked his thigh, trying to comfort him.
His body went completely still, and she looked up. He watched her with those midnight eyes, now shot with sparks of emerald.
The knowledge of what caused that dark gaze sent a shiver down her spine. She pushed the fear to the back of her mind and refused to think about the demonic side of his nature, the side that wanted to dominate the man inside. Lazarus was fighting to regain control of his body and mind, and she would do whatever it took to help the male she cared about far more than she had a right to.
His cock was thick, veins lining his heavy shaft, and she had the sudden urge to bend down and run her tongue along each one, tracing them to the glistening tip.
He writhed under her heated gaze. “Touch me,” he pleaded.
She wrapped her fingers around him, fisted the silky length, and began to stroke him slow and easy, not entirely sure how to proceed. Their gazes locked and she watched as midnight turned to deep green again. He hissed and bucked.
Gasping, he panted out, “Take off your shorts.”
She nodded, unable to speak, and slid them down her legs. His nostrils flared as he watched the cotton pool at her feet. Then his gaze traveled up her bare legs and zeroed in on her panties. “Take those off as well.”
Her sex clenched, slick from the blatant lust on his face, the undisguised hunger altering his deep voice. It was pure gravel. Doing as he asked, she hooked her finger in the sides and slid the flimsy fabric down her legs.
The metal chains smacked into the wooden table as his big body jerked hard against his restraints. Without conscious thought, Eve took several startled steps back until she hit the wall, rattling the various chains, cuffs, and whips that hung there. His face contorted, but this time it wasn’t physical. He looked tormented by her panicked reaction. He hated what he was doing to her, and the need to reassure him brought her back to his side, bolstering her courage.
“It’s all right. I’m all right.” She didn’t know who she was trying to convince more.
He cursed repeatedly between panted breaths. “Climb up.” The mix of pain and longing in his voice evaporated the last of her fear and replaced it with raw desire.
The table was wide enough for her to climb up beside him, and she straddled his hips. His breathing grew ragged as she moved up to position his engorged flesh. The head brushed her sex, and he hissed, rearing beneath her.
His heavy arms strained against the chains, the corded muscles bunching as he fought against his restraints.
Teeth gritted, chest pumping rapidly, he sucked back oxygen. “Fuck me, Eve. Please.”
She didn’t hesitate at the sound of his frantic plea and lowered her body, taking him inside her all the way. Her body stretched to accommodate his large size, the sensation almost too much. Lazarus moaned as her body gripped him tight.
“That’s it. Take all of me, sweetheart.” His foot thumped against the table. “Ah, fuck.”
She bent down and brushed her lips against his, unable to stop herself, and he opened his mouth instantly, hungrily sliding his tongue against hers, deepening the kiss. It was desperate and needy. She felt it, too, and she gave him back what he needed.
Clutching his shoulders, she lifted her upper body slightly and began to move, up and back, trying to keep the pace measured. He went so deep with every stroke she could already feel her inner muscles beginning to ripple around him.
He tried to thrust up and growled in frustration. “Undo the band around my waist.”
She reached down and unlatched
the thick leather and it clattered to the floor. She wasn’t afraid of him, not anymore. How could she be after the way he’d reacted to her touch? The chains attached to the manacles around his wrists and ankles appeared to be one length that ran below the table, and as he kicked out with his feet, his wrists slammed down hard against the top of the bench, pulling them down tight, causing the veins in his arms to bulge under the strain.
He kicked against the chains around his legs until he could dig his heels in against the wood beneath and thrust his hips up powerfully to meet hers. She cried out as he repeatedly hit her right where she needed him, slammed their bodies together over and over in a desperate frenzy, racing toward release.
His massive charcoal wings, which up until now had lain unmoving against the floor, lifted. A cool breeze tickled her bare legs and stirred the loose strands of her hair as they started moving, beating gently.
Lazarus snarled, the animalistic sound filling the small room before he thrust up, hitting her at an angle that sent stars exploding behind her lids and caused her inner muscles to clamp down hard, kicking off a powerful climax. She screamed his name while her body gripped him tight, clenching repeatedly around his thick length.
When the waves of pleasure receded, she collapsed against his chest, linked her arms beneath his powerful shoulders, and held on tight as he thrust up. A guttural sound tore from his throat when he found his own release, then those magnificent wings lifted, curling around them both, surrounding them in a dark, silken cocoon.
When she regained some of her composure, she looked up at his rugged face. He looked like the fierce warrior she knew him to be, despite the chains restraining him. It was hard to believe that she’d somehow helped him tame the demon fighting for dominance inside him.
His eyes were closed tight, and though she thought she knew, she couldn’t be sure who had won this battle. Who it was that lay beneath her. Cautiously, she reached up and ran gentle fingers across his brow and down his cheek. “Lazarus?”
His lids fluttered open.
She gasped at the stunning beauty of his bright emerald gaze staring back at her.
“Thank you,” he croaked.
She smiled. “I’m glad you’re back.”
“Is everything all right in there?” Brent’s voice sounded muffled from the other side of the door.
“We’re fine,” she called, sitting up as Lazarus’s beautiful wings unfurled from around their bodies. “Let me get you out of these shackles.”
When he slipped from her body, she felt the loss instantly. She shook off the feeling and climbed to the floor to study his chains. “How the heck do I undo these things?”
“There’s a key over there.” He pointed to a hook on the wall.
The door opened a crack and a pair of jeans landed on the floor. “Thought you might need these,” Brent said through the gap then shut the door again.
Retrieving the heavy key, Eve undid his wrists, followed by his ankles and stepped back. Lazarus sat up and swung his legs over the side of the table. He stretched his limbs and flexed his stiff muscles. She stared in awe as those beautiful black shimmery wings folded in. He tagged the jeans from the floor and, without taking his eyes of her, pulled them on, not bothering to do them up. “As much as I want to keep you naked, you should probably get dressed.”
“Oh…oh, right.” She bent down and grabbed her shorts, but before she could pull them back on, he moved in behind her, pulled her up against his body, and wrapped his arms around her middle. She could feel him shaking.
“I already want you again. I don’t think I could ever get enough of you.” He ground his already hardening length against her rear, even as his body continued to tremble in the aftermath of what he’d been through.
Her body flared to life, responding instantly.
“I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into all this. You have no idea how sorry I am,” he said.
“It’s okay. I’m glad I could…that I could help.” She smiled, trying to reassure him as she turned in his arms and rested her hands on his chest. She traced the swirling design of his brand with her finger. The scar tissue was rough and slightly raised. “Let’s get you upstairs.”
He dropped his hands when she stepped back to pull on her underwear and shorts.
If it hadn’t been for Lazarus, God only knew what would have happened to her. He’d saved her life, and she owed him the same in return. Being thrust into this new world was scary as hell, but she knew now she would give him whatever he needed, for as long as he needed it. She owed him that. Whatever was going on with him was bigger than her and her petty emotions.
When she lifted her head, she searched his body for any sign of the demon she’d seen moments ago, and sucked in a breath when he looked down at her again. His eyes were so bright, so startling a green they made it hard to focus on anything else when he was looking at her. His wings were gone now, his smooth back showing no trace of them ever being there, and his skin was once again tan and supple, not the leathery armor of his demon. There was also no sign of the horns that had protruded from his head, not a mark or a scar. Nothing. He was back to his former self. Powerful and raw. Terrifyingly beautiful.
Brent was waiting outside when she took Lazarus’s hand and led him from the room. Concern lined his face. “You good?”
Lazarus nodded. “I owe you.”
“Not even close, brother,” Brent said before he strode off.
Lazarus tightened his fingers around hers, and she led him back upstairs.
Chapter 21
It took everything Lazarus had not to fall on his ass. The shakes racking his entire body wouldn’t let up. He’d never been that close to losing himself, had never stared through the eyes of his demon like that, feeling the darkness taking hold and knowing there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Eve continued to hold his hand, and somehow, despite how small and soft and so obviously weaker than his it was, it was that connection, her tight grip, that was holding him up. The only thing.
“You’re burning up,” she said, and wrapped her arm around his waist.
She led him to the bedroom and he followed, struggling, trying desperately to find the words to tell her how he felt. How grateful he was. Christ, that she’d saved his life.
Eve pulled back the covers and turned back to him. She looked worried.
“I’m okay,” he managed. “I’ll be fine.”
Her eyes were wide as she gently ushered him to the bed, making him lie down. “You need to rest.”
She started to move away, but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her. “Will you stay with me?” Fuck, she was beautiful. And not just on the outside. Her inner beauty shone through so damn bright he felt the warmth of it soaking in deep, right down to his bones.
“I’m just getting you a drink. I’ll be right back.”
He tracked her as she left, couldn’t bring himself to look away from the door until she was back. She handed him a glass of water and he drank it, then he held his hand out, asking her without words to climb in with him.
She didn’t hesitate and slid in beside him, wrapping her arm around his waist. The heat of her skin soaking through her clothes, the weight of her body against him, was comforting. If he had the strength he’d pull her closer.
She tilted her head back looking at him. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “This was my fault. You needed me. You needed me and didn’t feel you could come to me. You almost lost yourself trying to protect me.”
Lazarus stilled. What? “No, Eve. God, no. None of this was your fault. None of it. I fucked up. In every damn way I could have. Yeah, I was trying to protect you, because I’d hurt you and I was ashamed of myself.”
She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “I think we need to work on our communication skills. This, what’s happening here, is new territory for both of us. I think that allows for mistakes.”
He shook his head in awe of her. “I’ve never met anyone like you. Christ, you…you make me feel
things that scare the shit out of me. Have me questioning everything…doubting things, things I thought I would never falter on.” He felt her heart beating faster against his side as he buried is nose in her hair and breathed her in. The action, her scent, her warmth, soothed him instantly.
A vision of Tobias doing the same to Scarlet flashed through his mind, along with a large dose of pain. Because, fuck, he got it. If he hadn’t before, he did now. The woman in his arms was the most important thing in his world and he’d do anything to protect her.
“What happens now?” she said softly.
“I don’t know,” he rasped.
Her finger started tracing one of his tattoos. “I don’t either, and I think that’s okay.”
They were quiet again for several seconds.
“Eve?” he said into the silence.
“Hmm?”
He didn’t know what happened next, how to get there, but he did know what he wanted. He also knew what taking it, keeping that happiness would cost him. He didn’t deserve it, but right then, lying with Eve, he didn’t think he had any other choice but to reach for it. “Hold me tighter, sweetheart,” he said into her hair.
She didn’t hesitate.
He’d never felt anything like it in his life. No one had ever taken care of him like Eve had, like she was now. He was a warrior. His brothers were warriors. All they knew was fighting and blood and pain.
The angels had screwed them over in so many ways. Except in this.
This was a reward. A gift.
And, God, he realized in that moment just how much he wanted to keep her.
“I want to show you something,” Lazarus said as he led Eve up the stairs to the rooftop the next evening. They’d spent the day together and he wasn’t ready for it to end. He’d have to go out and continue his search for Tobias soon, but first he wanted to give Eve something in return for everything she’d given him.
He used his senses to feel for demons, for anything that could cause Eve harm. The coast was clear. She was laughing by the time he pushed through the door to the roof, the sound high and breathy and one of the most beautiful things he’d ever heard.
Knight's Redemption (Knights of Hell Book 1) Page 20