by Jakz, Nikita
CHAPTER 12
Demon Dreams, Memories Bring
Sera woke up in a cold sweat. Her heart was racing and her lungs were heaving. She’d been dreaming of Cole. They’d been making love, like lovers who’d been together since the beginning of time. Kissing and grinning. Thrusting and moaning. Her arms had been wrapped around him tight and he'd been whispering the most amazing sentiments in her ear. All as he'd claimed her. Again and again. She'd felt so happy she’d feared her heart would burst.
And then Cole had pulled away from their kiss to grin down at her. But he wasn’t Cole. He was a large, menacing, deep maroon demon with horns and fangs and pitch black eyes.
Sera bit back a cry as she remembered it vividly, not wanting to wake Cole out on the couch. To her dismay, it wasn’t solely the demon making mad, passionate love to her that horrified her so. What disturbed her to her core was recalling how she’d looked up at him with love in her eyes. Her heart hadn’t sputtered with fear; it had galloped with unadulterated excitement. She’d loved the demon! Had exalted in his arms! Breathed his name on smiling lips. Good heavens, she’d actually begged for him to take her!
“Oh God!” she choked, leaping out of bed. Planted against the wall, her eyes darted wildly around. She had to get out of there. It was now or never. She was falling for a male who was a complete mystery to her. What if he was indeed some kind of threat and her mind was trying to warn her? Her heart hammered in pure panic. If she did not leave then, she would never leave, no matter what he turned out to be. She knew this intrinsically, recognized it as fact. Very soon she would be all but lost to him.
“I must leave,” she whimpered. “God help me, but I do not want to.” A tear escaped and she wiped it away, then drew in a steadying breath. Resolve wavering, she tiptoed out of the bedroom and crept down the hallway. As she entered the living room, she paused, her gaze lingering longingly on the male who’d stolen her heart. She squeezed her eyes shut and pursed her lips miserably. Now or never, now or never. Turning her head, she focused on the double French doors, and on a wing and a prayer, sprinted through them into the cool night air.
Cole rolled over, hearing the faint ‘snick’ of the back doors closing. He frowned, sitting up to look around. Face rough and unshaven, hair spiking this way and that, he got up and padded down the hallway in the sweats he'd put on the night before.
In the doorway of his bedroom he stopped. Sera was gone. Cursing a blue streak that would singe a sailor’s ear, he flashed outside, his hands clenched in fists as he scanned the perimeter.
“Sera!” he yelled. “You know it does no good to run from me! With the mood I’m in, you had better get your ass back here!”
Damn female, he snarled, storming off into the woods. He had to get a bead on her. As he stomped through the thickening underbrush, his muttered threats continued to flow. “I'm done being nice Cole. This shit is stopping now. She will remember who I am or so help me I will tie her ass to my bed for a year.”
Sera hadn't stopped running since the moment she fled the house. She was fast on her feet, but Cole's ability to materialize anywhere made him tricky to outrun. Through the dense forest her legs took her, fresh tears streaming down her face.
And then she heard his distant bellow, angrily calling her name.
“Oh God,” she panted, picking up speed. As soon as he caught her scent and pinpointed her general location, things were going to get much more difficult.
A stream was nearby. She could hear its gentle trickle. If she could just get to it, perhaps it could aid in covering her scent. She took a hard right, her bare feet traversing the leaf-strewn floor with grace and angelic stealth. All the while, air sawed through her lungs, her muscles burning like never before. She had to escape him, the male she feared she already loved.
Cole’s head whipped around, the sound of twigs snapping in the distance reaching his ears just as Sera’s scent flittered passed his nose. Instantly he flashed in its direction, catching the briefest glance Sera disappearing deeper into the woods.
“Sera,” he growled. “Stop this madness now.” Again he flashed after her, appearing directly in her path. But it wasn’t until he’d grabbed onto her shoulders, ready to shake some sense into her, that he noticed the tears on her face.
“Why are you running from me?” he frowned. She didn’t reply, only struggled to pull away. He tightened his grip. “Tell me what's wrong.” A determined foot made contact with his shin. “Stop that,” he grated, giving her a shake.
She peered up at him, irritated desperation flashing visibly in her eyes. “Cole. Please,” she groaned. “You must let me go. I cannot stay. I do not remember you! You have tried to make me see - and Lord knows I have tried - but I simply cannot!” Cole frowned, his heart pounding painfully as her fists beat at his chest. “I want to be with you,” she choked on a sob, “but I do not know how!”
He tightened his grip further, adamantly shaking his head. He wasn’t letting her go, no matter how hard she pleaded. “Forget it, Sera. I’m taking you back. We’ll figure something out.”
She dug in her heals, a shrewd sadness darkening her features. “I am sorry, sweet beautiful male,” she whispered, holding his gaze. “You would do well to forget me.”
Cole tensed, the resolve in her eyes beyond disconcerting. Dread mushroomed in his gut. His angel had an ace up her sleeve. Her eyes closed and her head fell back. Oh shit. But before he could shield his eyes, a brilliant light exploded from her form. Like a nuclear bomb, illuminating the darkness. He shouted, stumbling back in momentary blindness. Tripping over a small downed tree, he landed hard.
Swift feet, rapidly approaching.
A brief kiss left on his cheek.
“Be well, beloved Cole,” she breathed, her warm breath brushing his ear.
An equally rapid retreat.
As his vision fought to come back online, he suddenly heard large, flapping wings. The gust they created swept passed his face and rustled his unkempt hair. His heart thudded wildly. She was leaving, headed toward the treetops, rising to an elevation he’d soon be unable to reach.
“No,” he snarled, lurching to his feet. He wasn’t giving up that easy. With his eyesight returning, he let out a roar and leapt powerfully into the air. Flashing out in midflight, he reappeared directly in front of her, his strong arms snapping ‘round her tight. “I'm not letting you go,” he growled defiantly.
Sera cried out in alarm, dipping abruptly toward the ground. Her wings flapped frantically, struggling to stay airborne. “Cole!” she shrieked, but he only clung tighter.
A satisfied growl rumbled from his chest as he buried his face in her chest. He'd kept her from getting away. “You’re going to have to drop me on my ass if you want to get rid of me,” he smirked. Her pounding heart drowned out her kittenish curses. He lifted his gaze to hers, grinning smugly at her aggravated expression. But before she could rebuke him, he flashed them back to the house. The second they touched down, his fingers got busy sealing every shutter and door with a single snap.
And still he gave her no time to speak. Into his bedroom he hauled her, then tossed her onto the bed. Breathing heavy, he watched as she scrambled to the headboard. “Oh yes,” he grinned wickedly, “you will remember me.” Her eyes went wide as again he snapped his fingers, instantly binding her spread-eagle to the posts.
Casually he brushed a leaf from his shoulder, then heatedly looked over his prize. She was completely at his mercy. Just the way he liked her. The way she used to like it, too. “I remember a time when you’d beg me to tie you to my bed,” he murmured darkly.
Sera paused from grappling with her restraints to eye him warily. Could his claims be truth? Could she really have desired such a thing? She didn’t sense deceit in his words...
No, she decided abruptly. Regardless of what was real or not, she would not be distracted. It all was irrelevant anyway. She didn’t remember, so it might as well have never happened.
Shaking her head, she resume
d her bout with her binds. Just seconds ago she’d been breaching the treetops, so blessedly close to escape. But now she was bound, with Cole testing the last of her sanity. She scowled in frustration. The truth of the matter was she’d be impressed with his tactics had she not been the one thwarted by them. Blasted night, why must he be so irritatingly efficient!?
Anxiously she glanced around the room before finally looking at Cole. Despite his calm demeanor, he was still glaring steely daggers. She could feel his ire from clear across the room, wafting over her body in heady waves of resentment.
She watched his massive chest rise and fall, made note of his obsidian black eyes. True, he was infuriating, but sweet stars above, he was also positively gorgeous. Pure male in his rawest form...
Out of nowhere a purr crept up her throat. Damn her body and its betrayals!
She shifted restlessly atop the bed, her hunger unraveling her will. Inwardly, she berated her resolve’s sudden ‘backseat status,’ while outwardly, her chin rose in feigned indignantly. “You should have let me go,” she contended. “This is ludicrous. Untie me and let us talk rationally.”
“You want rational?” Cole snarled incredulously. “Oh, I'll give you rational.” Warily she watched as he lifted his fingers. Oh God, she cringed, not his magic fingers. With a growl and a snap, she was flipped onto her stomach, her binds reaffixed in accordance with her new position.
Onto the bed she felt him climb. She froze, then squirmed in rising anticipation. She could feel him watching her every move, his heated gaze palpable, searing her soul. “The time for rationale ended long ago, baby doll.” A shiver wracked her frame as his voice stoked her fire, his hands roaming up the back of her legs. “We are so beyond that now.”
Her eyes went wide as his words registered, fresh apprehension piercing her gut. True, he’d succeeded in exciting her beyond measure, but that didn’t negate the fact that she’d never engaged in such behavior before. And her body's intense response was making it hard to think.
She squirmed, panting against the pillow, “Cole. Cole wait.” But he didn’t. Oh God, his hands had reached her thighs. And were still moving higher. Of its own volition, her body began to undulate, to flicker and glow. He was methodically unraveling her will. “Cole,” she mewled, “I- Oh!”
White-hot pain pierced her unsuspecting behind. Cole just bit her cheek! She jerked as a fresh growl rumbled up to her ear.
“When I come deep inside this luscious body of yours,” he murmured darkly from behind, “you won't even remember what ‘rational’ means.” Abruptly, he spanked her ass.
Sera yelped, her entire frame jerking. Despite herself, she bit back a laugh. “Cole! You wicked male! I cannot believe you- ah!” He smacked her yet again.
“Never again will you run from me,” he growled, rubbing away the sting. “You will stay with me always.”
His rumbling words sent shivers up her body, goose bumps erupting from head to toe. Sera moaned as her hips rolled shamelessly into the sheets. Her voice lowered, becoming husky as she rasped into the pillow, “You are naughtier than I have given you credit.”
Slowly, he stroked the apex of her legs. Sera groaned, mortified at how wet she’d already become. Cole chuckled, clearly aware of her current ‘state,’ too. “Your light makes you glisten all the more, Sera. You want me to take this, don’t you,” he murmured. But before she could answer, he slipped a finger deep.
She cried out, clamping down on him hard. “Oh God, Cole! Yes!” she mewled without thought, then swiftly changed directions. “No, wait! You mustn't!”
“Why?” he chuckled again. “Is this not for me?” Abruptly he withdrew. Sera bit her lip to keep from whimpering. “Mmm,” she heard him purr. “So sweet, you taste.”
And that was it. The sound of him sucking his finger proved her final proverbial straw. To hell with wrong or right! “Cole,” she moaned, shifting restlessly. “Please. Do that again. But God… linger longer this time.” She peered over her shoulder, need covering her face. “Please.”
Cole grinned. “I know you too well, baby.” Expert hands lifted her hips, propping her lower body up into the most vulnerable positions. That brief taste had made him crave more, more of her sweet, savory juices. In the blink of an eye, he was on his back, his head positioned between her knees, ready to eat her whole.
Swiftly, he pulled her down to his lips, his hands gripping her ass, unyielding in their hold. Sucking and licking, he began to tease her. It didn’t take long to get her shamelessly grinding against him.
“That's it, Sera,” he rasped. “Let me taste all of you.” Skillfully, he tongued her entrance, drawing her juices out until they drenched his mouth and chin. His hand slid around to the back of her thigh. Two fingers slipped in deep. She gasped. He growled. His other hand joined the fun, his thumb moving higher to tease her rosette. She mewled, squirmed, but didn’t seem able to stop her writhing. Hell yes, she was magnificent.
Body on fire, he could barely breathe. But he wasn’t alone, by the way Sera was panting. And wickedly glowing. Good thing he was supporting her. He’d bet his balls if he let her go she’d topple down in a heap. He could hear her fists gripping and tugging at her binds, her clenched teeth biting the pillow. Oh yeah, he grinned against her folds, he was driving her fast to insanity.
In and out, his fingers stroked, rubbing that bundle of nerves deep inside her core. When he upped the pressure against her back door, she gasped through a violent shudder. Higher and higher he wrung her, making her whimper and moan, her glow pulsing like a strobe light.
Abruptly he felt her tense, then arch up hard as a strangled cry ripped from her lips. A full-body shockwave tore through her frame, a blinding flash lighting the room. Her juices gushing forth on a trembling rush. Quickly, Cole’s mouth took his skilled fingers’ place. Fuck him sideways, he could die a happy demon drowning in his angel's passion. His tongue delved deep, drinking her up as she clamped down hard. And still Sera’s orgasm quaked through her core.
He could feel her tugging mindlessly at her binds, her ankles and wrists shifting constantly. He chuckled against her flesh, still mercilessly stroking her fire. He loved overwhelming her to the point of desperation.
She bucked anew, begging for mercy. “Cole! I cannot bare another moment! Please! I need you deep within me!”
Cole paused at her plea. She was burning for him, as he was for her. It’d be pointless to make them both suffer. Sliding out from beneath her, he moved off the bed and swiftly removed his sweats. Black eyes never leaving her, he climbed back on with a growl. He could barely contain himself, so bad he needed to be insider her.
He palmed his shaft, and against her ass, he rubbed his silky crown. Back and forth, back and forth. She was so warm, and soft, and smooth. Her curves beyond perfection. His free hand palmed her cheek as he positioned his head at her sex. Ragged breath shuddered from his lips. “Sera…”
Sera’s froze, the feel of hot steely flesh prodding her entrance igniting a sudden wave of fear. She had never had intercourse before, at least none that she could recall. Would she be able to accommodate him? He was a large male. And very well endowed from the glimpse she’d caught of him in the shower before.
He leaned over her, his chest deliciously scalding her back. “You still want me deep inside you, right Sera?” his voice was like velvet, dipped in dark chocolate. Confident and hungry and smug. She sucked in a trembling breath. But before she could answer, he breached her, but only by an inch. Quickly he pulled back out. Again and again, he repeated the motion, slow and consistent. Sera mewled in tortured bliss, his teasing driving her mad. Finally she cried out in frustration, “Cole! Why must you torment me so?” She rocked her hips backwards, desperate to bring about deeper penetration. She was going to lose her mind if he didn’t fill her soon.
“No, Sera,” he breathed against her neck. “You need to beg me for this.” He slid in a little deeper, holding her hips still. “You can’t have more until then.”
&nbs
p; Unabashedly she moaned, rolling her hips as she reveled in that glorious extra inch. “Ohhh… yesss…Oh!-”
A sharp, biting smack lit up her cheek. At the same time Cole swiftly withdrew. His warm hand rubbed at the sting. Sera groaned, the mixture of pleasure and pain tangling her thoughts. She liked it. No, she didn’t. Was it wrong? Because it felt exceptionally right.
“Don't move,” he gritted, “until I say to.” Again he entered her, half way this time, stretching her full nonetheless. She squirmed, her body determined to adjust. But the second it did, he pulled back again, making her whimper a curse.
Cole chuckled low, the sound fueling her desire. She bucked in frustration, and was rewarded with another spank. It was beginning to dawn on her that he was truly a master at this, her master, and would yield only when he saw fit.
Around and around, his head teased her slit, breaking her out into a cold, hard sweat. She wondered much more she could take, or how much longer Cole could hold out. She had a feeling he was trying to break her, to tear down her emotional wards. And if that was the case, he’d undoubtedly hold on for as long as it took. She only hoped she’d still be sane when the time finally came.
His thumb swept through her wetness, then moved back to circle her rosette. She jerked, the strangely erotic sensations wrenching her even higher. And then, as if unable to help himself, Cole suddenly thrust hard with a growl. Air shot passed Sera’s lips as he blessedly bottomed out. Finally, he was buried deep inside her! But just as quickly, he pulled withdrew again to resume his wicked play. Halfway in, then all the way out, with every fifth stroke sinking deep to the hilt, stretching her wide and filling her full. Sera purred and moaned, gasped and writhed. He was wickedly, wonderfully evil.