His eyes bright, Vadim devoured me with his gaze. My breasts tingled as my nipples hardened under his hungry stare.
“I promised this wouldn’t happen again,” he rasped, as I stepped back to him. “Don’t come any closer.”
“Is that what you really want? For me to stay away?” I splayed my hands on his shoulders again. He jerked back, yanking at the chains, which rattled and squeaked in protest. “Tell me to stop,” I challenged, but he kept quiet. “You know I want this, very much. And I know you long to give me what I want.” The truth of this statement became perfectly clear the moment the words left my mouth.
I wanted him more than anything in the world right now. And he wouldn’t stop me even though he was infinitely stronger than me, because he needed this.
“For the love of all that’s holy,” he growled. “Put some gloves on at least.”
“Gloves would protect my hands, but how about the rest?” I leaned in slowly, the tips of my breasts coming less than an inch from his bare chest.
He breathed heavily, watching the shrinking distance between us.
“Careful,” he begged, his voice pained. “If something happens to you, it’ll wreck me.”
“I want you whole, Vadim. Healed, not wrecked,” I whispered, my breasts swaying at his chest with every breath I took.
The heat from his body broke against the biting needles of frost that plucked at my nipples as I leaned in too close.
“Jade.” Terror strangled Vadim’s voice, making my name catch in his throat.
“I’m good,” I reassured him, shrinking back a little, breathless. “Really good, actually . . .”
The stings of cold turned into warm tingles, rapidly spreading from my breasts to between my legs.
Kicking my red pumps off, I lifted my leg and hooked it around his hips.
“I want to make you feel good too.” I circled his waist with one arm for balance, clicking his belt buckle open with the other hand. “Just hold still, baby. And breathe,” I murmured, leaning into his side, his open shirt between us.
Sliding my hand between his pants and his underwear to keep from touching his skin, I found his pulsing hardness. “How can you be this hot and feel so freezing cold to touch?” I squeezed him gently, enjoying the tight resistance in my fingers.
“I take . . .” he panted, “through skin-to-skin contact. It causes the chilling sensation in you.”
“Right.” I moved my hand a little faster.
I wanted to keep his mind on what I was doing rather than on his fear or worry about self-control. My aim was to make him focus on what was physically happening between us and to distract him from everything else, including the visual of my emotions. As hard as he was, I knew he wouldn’t last long.
“But how would you explain these flushes of heat in my body whenever you’re close to me?” I rocked my hips into him, shamelessly riding his leg now in sync with my hand gliding up and down his length. “Tell me, why I all but lose my mind with you around? My whole body aches for you, constantly. And no matter how much you let me have, it’s never enough.”
With a loud growl, he yanked at the chain that held his right arm, swinging it back and away from me, as it fell from the ceiling. Hiking my skirt to my waist, he tore at my panties before sliding his gloved fingers between my thighs.
“How do you expect me to hold still? When all this crimson lust is practically dripping off you?” he gritted in my hair, rubbing between my legs faster and faster. I moaned, feeling his finger slide inside me, the leather of his glove slick and cool. “You’re all hot and wet. For me.”
Closing my eyes under the onslaught of pleasure spreading through me from his fingers, I pressed myself to him, trying to match the speed of my hand on his erection to that of his between my thighs.
I was no longer fully aware which parts of our bodies touched, and which ones of them were covered or not. Violent waves of heat and biting frost rolled through my skin at will, and I clung to him, striving to stay upright as the surge of pure ecstasy rocked through my body, threatening to crush me.
“Vadim . . .” I moaned, flexing my leg hooked around his hips to bring him closer and to keep my balance through the tremors of my orgasm.
His heavy breathing turned erratic then halted, as he pumped his own release into my hand, soaking the fabric of his boxers.
“Baby . . .” Lost in the moment, drunk on him to the point of being nearly delusional, I craned my neck and caught his mouth with mine in the kiss I’d wanted for so long.
Cold slipped between my lips along with his tongue a moment before he jerked back, and I slacked against his body, my muscles disobeying me and my bones as if dissolving at once.
“Jade!” The second chain came crashing down as my eyes closed and I slid to the floor. “My treasure.” Strong arms caught me just before I hit the ground.
Then the world went dark.
Chapter 24
A LOUD SCREECHING NOISE woke me up, as if someone had shoved a heavy piece of furniture across the floor.
Squinting in the bright light filtering through my eyelids, I made an attempt to open my eyes and only partially succeeded. Peeking with one eye half-open, I spotted the familiar large figure of my demon by the window. He seemed to have shoved the armchair back on his way up from behind the desk.
“Morning,” I muttered, rubbing my face.
“Jade.” Spinning on his heel, he rushed to me.
“How long has it been this time?” I asked, as he crouched by the bed I was on. “What time is it?”
“Three in the afternoon.” His voice came out hollow.
“So, just like . . . less than twenty hours then?” Exact math was not going to happen for me right then. There was no point in trying.
“How are you?”
“Not bad.” I rose on my elbows. The embroidered bedspread in luscious violet dropped away from my chest, exposing my breasts. “I’m naked,” I stated the fact, feeling no clothes on me at all. “Completely.”
“I undressed you for the night,” he dismissed and repeated, “How are you? Any pain? Hungry? Still tired?”
“Calm down, Mister Nanny.” Holding the bedding to my chest, I sat up. My head swam a little then settled as I got my sense of balance back. “Nothing hurts. A bit lightheaded—”
“You need some food.” In two long strides Vadim reached the door then shoved his head and torso through, without opening it.
“Zayne!” His voice boomed through the concrete corridors outside the room. “Lunch for Jade. Now!”
No please or thank you. Vadim seemed to reserve all his pleasantries exclusively for me, with none left for his fellow Incubi.
“Here.” He picked up a mug from the desk. “Herbal tea with honey for you.” He sat on the bed next to me. “Well, it’s more like ice tea by now. I had it made much earlier.”
“Thank you.” I took the mug from him. Even lukewarm, the tea was pleasant and sweet. “It’s good.” I inhaled after taking a few sips then leaned back against the headboard of the carved wood bedframe. “This is gorgeous.” I slid my gaze along the poster bed, taking in the intricate carvings on the dark wood and the rich fabrics of the bedding. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Where did you get it?”
“What? The bed? We had it in one of the storage rooms downstairs.” He glanced at the piece of furniture, critically. “Not sure how it got there, must have been left from a visit by someone from the Priory.” The focus in his eyes sharpened. “We must have got it sometime around the eighteenth century, by the look of it. Seventeenth, maybe. The mattress is newer, of course,” he added quickly. “And the bedding was washed yesterday.”
“Cool.” I stroked the silk embroidery, noticing that the threads had faded in places, betraying the age of the piece. “What else do you have in this treasure room of yours?”
“Um, lots of things,” he replied distractedly, his focus fully on me. “Do you feel tired at all?”
I rolled my shoulders back,
taking another drink from my mug.
“Not really. I had an almost twenty-hour nap, remember? A little hungry, maybe.”
“Jade.” He sat next to me. “I—”
His expression fell, and my heart squeezed painfully.
“Don’t. Please stop blaming yourself.”
“I promised you I wouldn’t let it happen again.”
“And I promised I wouldn’t give up trying,” I echoed. “This is definitely not on you. At all. Last night, I tied you up and took advantage of you. Did you forget?”
A flush of dark heat in his stare made my breath hitch.
“I’ll never forget last night.” His voice, deep and sombre, stroked something inside me. “You are the only one—demon or human, dead or alive—who has ever made me break my promise. I have no strength or willpower to deny you. And you keep putting yourself in danger. Carelessly.”
“Well, it was a very bad promise to begin with. You shouldn’t have made it in the first place,” I retorted. “Look. The way I see it, I keep getting mind-blowing orgasms from you—”
“At what price?”
“At the price of a long and restful nap.” I took another drink from my mug. “Seriously, Vadim. Try to look at it objectively, not through the gloomy prism of all the perceived dangers out there. Please. Last night . . .” I dropped my gaze to my lap, my face and my insides heating again at the memories of us together. “It was beautiful. Our skin touched, pretty sure more than once. And that kiss . . .” I sighed, bringing my hand to my lips where the sensation of him still lingered.
He followed my gesture with his eyes, an expression of intense concentration on his handsome face.
“Don’t tell me it can’t happen again,” I warned. “Because I want more of this. Don’t you feel how great we are together?”
“Amazing,” he agreed. “Being with you, Jade, could never compare to anything I’ve ever experienced. But—”
“Listen.” I lifted a finger between us, prompting him to stop. “Just think about how it all happened last night. Do you remember fighting it? Because I swear the cold wasn’t there all the time. It came and went, in waves. Not scary enough for me to stop. You held it back, until I kissed you. Which I admit might have happened a little too soon.”
Not that I’m sorry.
That kiss alone was worth it all.
“Maybe, I shouldn’t have let it go that far yet,” I conceded. “But the truth is, Vadim, I simply want you so damn much . . .”
“Jade.” He hovered over me, prompting me to press my back into the headboard behind me. The storm in his eyes both frightened and drew me in, all at once. “I love how unapologetic you are in your desires. The way you go after what you want . . . You have no idea how much—”
“Lunch!” The announcement came with a loud knock on the door. Then the now familiar shape of Zayne emerged into the room.
Dressed in a long white tunic, black pants and a pair of embroidered slippers, Zayne carried in a tray with some dishes.
“Chicken broth, veal meatballs with potatoes and gravy, and fruit compote,” he announced proudly, approaching the bed. “Compliments of Andrei and Ilya, with best wishes for your speedy recovery.”
“This is a lot of food,” I gasped as he set the tray in my lap.
Midday meal was the largest one, according to local custom. Still, I didn’t think I could eat all of this even if I ate all day.
“You need food to get well.” Vadim stepped in, handing me the spoon.
My fingers brushed by his gloved hand as I took it from him.
“Can you sit with me?” I patted the cover at my side. “Please?”
Zayne cleared his throat. “I’ll be back for the dishes when you’re done.” He left, with a short bow.
Vadim sat next to me.
“I’m not feeling anything overly sexual for you right now,” I said.
That was true. The pleasure of having him near, the enjoyment of his company was warming my heart, but the usual burning desire for him simmered on low at the moment.
“I’ve taken most of it,” he gravely reminded me.
“That may be a good thing.” I put the spoon on the tray. “You see, I believe we might have started too strongly. Let’s try this from the beginning.”
“What do you mean?”
“Instead of rushing into sex, when both you and I lose our minds to lust, how about we start with casual touches first? Whatever emotions I have in me right now must be easier for an Incubus to resist than the raging sexual energy burning hot and wild.”
“You may have a point.” His smile at me was warm, if a little sad. “Except that my own raging lust for you hasn’t faded. To be honest, I don’t think it ever will.”
The intensity in his eyes, combined with the quiet resignation in his voice, coiled around my heart with wistfulness and longing. Both were new emotions for me, and I had no idea what to make of them at the moment.
“Well, only one of us is raging with lust right now, then.” I decided to stick with the topic at hand. “If I remain focused, it may be easier for you. Right?”
His chest rose with a heavy sigh as he seemed to consider my words.
“You won’t quit trying?”
“I said I won’t. The thought of you being left here, all alone when everyone leaves and I move away . . . I can’t stand it. It would make me feel so much better knowing you could . . .”
‘Touch any woman without the fear of hurting her,’ was what I was going to say. However, the unwelcome image of Vadim with someone else rose in my mind. My throat tightened painfully, and I just couldn’t squeeze these words out.
“. . . knowing you could live in this world freely,” I said instead. “Without the fear of hurting anyone.”
His hands clasped in his lap, he stared at me—through me—searching somewhere deep inside, then stretched his hand. “Try again then.”
His glove was on, and I didn’t pry it off. Instead, I took his hand in mine then traced with my finger the edge of the glove around his wrist.
“Are you ready, darling?” My voice came out softer than I intended. I wanted this for him, so much.
He nodded, his focus firmly on my finger inching towards his bare skin.
“Light like a feather . . .” I whispered, skimming atop the fine dark hairs on his forearm, all the way to the rolled up sleeve of his shirt then back, the pad of my finger barely touching his skin here and there.
A fine dusting of frost prickled under my finger whenever I came too close. I glanced up at Vadim, finding his gaze on me, no longer on his arm. His eyes seemed unfocused, but I recognized that look by now—he watched the emotions he took, keeping an eye on my life force, too.
“More,” he whispered, his breathing stilted, a hard expression etched on his face.
I stopped my hand over his arm and gingerly pressed my finger to his skin. The frost still skirted around the tip, but then the whole area of our contact warmed up slowly, as if melting from our touch.
“Don’t move it away,” he requested as the tiny blue lights flashed through his eyes. “I’m skimming only, Jade. Not taking.”
“Yes, you are, baby.” I smiled, my chest feeling suddenly much lighter. “And I’m touching you. Skin to skin.”
Chapter 25
OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, we developed a pattern. Vadim would visit me after work through the week. He had my permission to enter my apartment to wait for me there if I was late.
I found myself looking forward to coming home, knowing he might already be there, getting dinner started. My enjoyment of the domestic aspect of our relationship thrilled me, but I knew it would pass. Sooner or later, unfortunately, I would get bored with the routine. The fact that it was inevitable filled me with deep sadness, and I made sure to fully enjoy every day we still had together.
December came and went. With my office closing, I didn’t get enough time off to make it back home for Christmas to see my family this year. Instead, I connected with t
hem through the Internet and watched my nieces and nephews open the presents I’d sent for them.
The Incubi invited me to the Base for Christmas dinner. Sitting at the large table in the dining room with Vadim, Zayne, and the twelve demons who still remained there, I felt not a trace of awkwardness whatsoever. By then I’d gotten to know all of them well enough to feel absolutely myself in their presence.
Zayne told me it was the first Christmas dinner that had ever taken place at the Base. The fact that Incubi made it for me—complete with roast chicken and plum pudding, like my mum would make, and even a small decorated Christmas tree as a centrepiece—filled me with gratitude the moment I entered the room.
For New Year’s celebration, the biggest night of the holiday season in Belarus, I went to Tanya’s apartment. I told her I was seeing someone but didn’t explain who he was, afraid of the questions I wouldn’t be able to answer without revealing the Incubi’s secrets.
Every weekend in January, Vadim sent a car to take me to the Base. There we would spend the two days together every week.
I made it to the basement one day, to the wing opposite from the meeting room where we normally had dinner.
It was a sombre visit.
My mood subdued, I walked along concrete corridors similar to the ones upstairs except for slightly lower ceilings. All doors were open here, room after empty room. Only the grey walls remained, and the lingering sense of isolation, despair, and death.
“Why?” I whispered, reaching to touch the doorframe of one of the rooms, then yanked my hand away, afraid that the morbid essence of this dungeon would seep into me with the contact. “I am more than happy to feed you.” I turned to face Vadim, who was accompanying me. “Natasha and the others are doing it for their demons, too. Why did this have to happen at all?”
He splayed his hand on the wall.
“For someone who has lived for a mere thirty years, it may be impossible to understand.”
Grand Master (Demons, #3) Page 14