“I care not for honor, Cathy.” I reached for her face, my fingers skimming her cheek until she flinched and drew away.
“Don’t, please.”
“But I will, and you understand the rules of the game better than most, little Guardian. You, who opened the door by opening your legs with my kin—you invited me here—you have no right to refuse me now, but I meant what I inferred. I will make it good for you. I will bring rapture to your dull and monotonous existence, and I will do it all for no higher price than this.”
“Than what?” She turned back in my direction, bright blue eyes burning with frustrated indignation. “What is it that you want, demon?” She spat the final word, shaking her head as her gaze lowered.
“A few things.” I did not allow her petulance to dissuade me. I was too ancient to be distracted by the petty mortal response. Cathy was mine now, and she would have to get used to the fact. I had no doubt she would, and by the time my body had matched my goading promises, she would be more than complicit in the exchange.
“First, your obedience.” I willed her head in my direction once more, her chin lifting despite her reticence. “I am your master now, Cathy Bateman, and you shall acknowledge the fact with respect and deference to my will.”
“You can’t make me.” Her small hands balled at her sides, her jaw tightening with the wrath I sensed furling inside her.
“Come now.” I smiled. “You know I can. Just as I am commanding your attention now, I can force your hand to act. I can compel you to kneel, cower, and comply, but I would rather not have to. It is so tiresome to have to fight on every matter. Is it not better you simply concede?”
“Better for whom?” Her chest rose and fell as desperation knotted inside her. “Better for you, perhaps, but not me. Not for the human who has to kneel and comply. Not for the one who loses.”
I laughed at her appraisal of the situation. Poor little Cathy! So consumed by her fallen fate, she had missed the point entirely. It was not only conformity I could conjure, but anything else her heart desired. I would light those dark paths in her mind and guide her through the labyrinth she revered but stubbornly refused to enter. I knew how much she had relished yielding to Damon. I knew the fantasies that stirred in her soul, and I would make them come to life—each and every erotic one of them.
“No, Cathy,” I consoled. “For us both. Give in to me, and you will thrive. You will gain the dark sensuality of every touch you’ve ever yearned for but are too ashamed to seek. There is no judgment in my kind, and I do not condemn you for those cravings. On the contrary, I applaud you.”
She blinked at me before turning away. “I don’t know what you mean.”
There was no denying the amusement she inspired. All mortals, it seemed, were the same. It mattered not their origins or why they found themselves at my feet. In the end, they all clung to their damn denial. Denial of their interests, of the things they secretly longed for, but it was madness. I could read their thoughts and see inside their soul, and frankly, Cathy should have known better.
“We both know that is a lie.” My tone was hard, conveying my dissatisfaction with her predictable approach. I had hoped for better in one who cradled such power at her fingertips, but it seemed, in this case, my faith was not vindicated. “I have seen your desires, Cathy. I have stepped inside your dreams and know what makes your hot little body frenzied with need. There is little point in repudiation. It only makes me less likely to be lenient with you.”
For the first time, there was a flicker of fear in her gaze, the gesture as fleeting as it was satisfying.
“Those things are none of your business, demon.” Her jaw clenched. “They are private, and I would like them to remain so.”
“Then you should not have dallied with Damon.” My lips curled. “By fornicating with my brother, you opened the floodgates to us all, I am afraid. I might have sent any one of my kind to deal with you—you might have already been granted your wish for death—but I did not. I chose to come myself, to survey the Guardian who caused such contention, to either crush her or bring her to heel at my side, to take her over.”
“And you think you will win?”
Still, there was defiance in her voice. Even though she knew escaping my clutches was hopeless, she could not cede. I grinned at the predicament. Had there ever been a mortal as alluring? A harder nut to crack—a prettier one?
“I have won,” I confirmed. “And we have barely begun to play.”
Chapter Seven
Cathy
It was all clear at that moment, the truth in his deep voice as resounding as any invocations I’d read, stronger than the light that swelled within. He was going to win. He was going to take me over, and try though I would, there was nothing I could do to resist him. His words alone were too alluring, his tone so full of authority.
It was inevitable. Hopeless.
“What then?” My tone was breathy and spoke of desperation. “You’re just going to take me by force?” He laughed, the dark sound echoing around me as if its mission was to taunt and tease.
“There will be no need for coercion,” he said matter-of-factly. “That is why it will be such a sweet victory. You want the things I can give, and I am more than happy to give them to you. For too long, I have been bound to perdition. For too long, I denied myself the sins of the flesh, for no good reason.”
“And you want these things with me?”
There was a knowing flicker in his eyes, a reinforcement of the fact he could read my thoughts. The idea irked me, but there was nothing I could do to counter him. Even my powers could not shield myself from the demon’s uncanny ability to know what mortals thought, though if he searched my mind now, all he would find was a mess. My mind was a land of confusion, the enormity of what he inferred scrambling my logic, but beneath the surface, my interest was piqued. However much I wanted to deny it, I liked what I saw when I looked at his human guise, and I related to those fantasies he referred to. As well, I might; those were my fantasies, after all. The dark sensuality I craved since Damon’s first touch was the subject of my daydreams, not his. I had to face facts, Satan was merely a facilitator for my lust, but the sin was all mine.
“Naturally.” He threw me a devastating smile, and as though he’d commanded the gesture, a pool of heat bloomed in my face. “You and I shall create magic of our own, little Guardian. Whatever Damon inspired will pale into insignificance compared to me, the lord of all the dark realm.”
His tone was so deep, so powerful, the sound reverberating as it danced about me, I believed him. Shamefully, I had reveled in the carnality Damon inspired, but there was the promise of much more in Satan’s dark gaze. Yet the need to defy him lingered. I wanted to refuse him, turn him down, spit in his face. In my mind, I saw myself enacting the deed. I registered the horror on his expression at my insolence, and the thought warmed me. I could do this. I was a guardian, born of tougher fiber than the average mortal.
I could resist him, whatever the temptation to believe it was useless. I had to.
“I wouldn’t if I were you…” His tone resonated with a warning.
“What?” I blushed harder, unable to meet the intensity of his gaze.
“Ah, ready to play coy with me again?” He chuckled. “It seems you lurch between frustrated fear and bashful timidity like a pendulum, Cathy. If I was keeping track, I would surely be dizzy by now.”
“I don’t like you being able to read my thoughts.” There, I had said it, even though I acknowledged how petulant my words sounded.
His lips twitched at my admission. “You will get used to it,” he shrugged. “Or you will not, it is of no concern to me, but I advise against the course of action you consider. Defying me will only bring you suffering.”
My eyes squeezed closed, the burning humiliation of his advice making it impossible to tolerate his smug visage any longer. “So, what then?” My words were a low hiss. “That’s it? You’re here to claim me, and I just cede to your every
whim? I just yield? I don’t even try to fight you?”
“Fight if you must. If it makes you feel better. We both know the truth. You will not deny me, Cathy. You will give me exactly what I want.”
My muscles tensed at the sound of his merriment on the subject, and I blew out a long breath, discouraged at the certainty in his tone. He was right, damn it, in my heart, I knew he was. I could kick and scream. I could make things as awkward and difficult as my light would permit, but in the end, it wouldn’t be enough—not to drive back Satan. Not to push out the leader of Hell himself. I didn’t have the strength for that.
No one did.
“I feel that you already know, you have me just where you want me.” My eyes flickered open with the confession, watching as his arrogant expression morphed into something softer. Something hotter. Something that tugged at the desire in my core. “It seems hopeless.”
“Remember what I have asked of you.” He smiled as he drew near, gliding toward me in that eerie way demons moved. “Can you recall?”
“Obedience.” The answer was right there, much easier to say than it would be to expedite. “You want me to obey.”
“They all submit in the end, little Guardian.” That goading tone was back again, but now that he was closer to me, it was much harder to be anything but overawed by his presence. By the huge, towering physique and the dark shimmering eyes. “There are only two routes open to you now I have chosen to keep, rather than crush you.”
My lips parted, and I was certain there was a reply there, but somehow, no response came. Instead, I just gawped at him, aware suddenly just how much smaller and insignificant I was. Sure, I had powers of my own, but in all my years, I’d never dealt with a demon like this, like him.
“Cathy?” One dark eyebrow arched. “Do you know the options?”
Lifting my hand to my temples, I shook my head. What the hell was happening to me? I was stronger than this, wasn’t I? Even if he was physically more powerful, I had authority over my own mind, didn’t I? The simple, demoralizing truth was that no, I didn’t. Not anymore.
“No.”
“Then let me enlighten you.” There was amusement in his tone again, hilarity that should have riled me had his gaze not been so penetrating, so distracting. “You can fight. You can push back and resist for everything you are worth.” He regarded me thoughtfully. “No doubt you are worth a great deal more than the mortals I am used to subjugating. I do not underestimate you. Only a woman of immense authority could have drawn me from my realm. Your power needs to be contained, little Guardian, there is no doubt about that.”
I smiled at his words, aware he was flattering me, probably to make me more malleable to his wicked aims, but still, I couldn’t deny the happiness they inspired. I liked that he was impressed with me, God help me, I enjoyed his praise and approval.
“Or?” I forced myself to meet his gaze again, counseling my reaction as I absorbed that compelling look in his eyes. Satan was the master of sin, after all, and I had the impression that gaze could induce me into far greater acquiescence if I wasn’t careful. “What’s the other choice?”
“You already know it,” he told me softly. “Or you can yield. Give in to me, give yourself to me and let me worship you. Damon gave you a taste of what I can offer, an appetizer if you will? Now it is time to enjoy the whole meal, Cathy. I can fulfill you. I can make you a woman.”
I shook my head at his dark promises, though already I felt myself ceding. Heat was rising inside me, and my breathing had accelerated, my body betraying my true feelings. “I swore not to give in to temptation again.”
Whose was that throaty plea, for it couldn’t be mine? I spoke with more authority than that woman, stood taller than her. Didn’t I?
“I made a vow that Damon would be the last.”
“Then I am sorry, little Guardian.”
Somehow, he drew even closer, though his feet didn’t move at all. His face looming over me, that wry expression smirking down.
“S-sorry?” The word almost stuck in my throat. “Why are you sorry?”
“I am sorry you will break that vow. It is not beneficial to let yourself down that way, but it seems you have no choice.”
A wave of irritation floated over me at his arrogant assessment, my body straightening before I replied. “You seem very certain.”
“I am. You will give me what I want, everything I want, though, as I say, the path is still yours to choose.”
“And my opinion no longer matters?” Panic grew at my core, unsettling me as it spread to my limbs. He was right. His goddamned goading words were accurate. I had already seen things I could never unsee, and he was going to expose me to so much more—more carnality, more sensuality. Maybe more than I could comprehend, and there was nothing I could do to prevent his possession. I wasn’t strong enough. When push came to shove, I just wasn’t strong enough.
“Stop tormenting yourself.” There was tenderness in his tone, or at least I might have believed so if it were any other creature standing over me. “I can save you, Cathy. I know you want that.”
“You think you know what I want.”
“You know, I do.”
He reached for me, those long fingers approaching my face like a reckoning beyond my remit. Time protracted as they neared, my anxiety rocketing as the inches shrunk, and I knew his caress was imminent. I wanted it, too. Though I would never have admitted it to him, nor Sevvy, or anyone else for that matter, in my heart, I acknowledged the truth. I wanted his fingers on me. I craved his touch. His fingertips grazed my heated cheek, running a line down to my chin.
“My God, what’s going to happen to me?”
I could barely believe I was even asking. Of all the creatures in the world to query on the subject, Satan seemed the least qualified to answer. Or maybe that was foolish. Perhaps he was the one best placed to tell me of my fate, of the plight that awaited weak mortals who folded in the face of his affection. I gulped at the realization, the stinging disappointment numbed by the feel of his fingers shifting at my flesh, cupping my chin.
“You’re falling, Cathy.” There was no malice in his tone now, only the seductive purr of a charmer I should have been able to resist—I should have wanted to forbear—but as it transpired, that was the last thing on my mind.
“From heaven?” Panic bloomed with my words, or, at least, it should have done. I imagined the response, though, in truth, I scarcely sensed anything but the warmth of his fingers and the mesmerizing depth of his inky gaze.
“No, little lady.” He was amused by my response, but once more, my usual impulses were numbed by his attention. The irritation I should have experienced was replaced only by the captivating intensity in his eyes and my need to know what he would say next.
“For me.” He winked with the assertion, and even though I hadn’t thought to do so, I leaned nearer to him, allowing his hand to shift from my chin to the back of my neck.
“You’re no stranger to love, but now you’re going to find out just how deeply you can fall, Cathy. So deeply that you’ll never be able to climb back to the surface again. Hell, you won’t even want to.”
Chapter Eight
Satan
Bless her. Bless little Cathy Bateman. She was trying so hard to resist me, her thoughts spiraling out of control—though she knew it was a futile endeavor, somehow, she simply could not stop. It was invigorating to behold, a mortal with such mettle, fighting, yet failing to defy my authority, and at that moment, stroking her nape, I was absurdly grateful to Damon. If he had not done the groundwork, Cathy would have been a much tougher nut to break. As a virgin, steadfast in her morality, she would have taken much longer to succumb, though ultimately, yield she would have done. His hard work was making my efforts a lot more effective, the memory of his caresses, making mine all the hotter. Not that her memory of him would last in the face of my affection. Once Cathy has tasted my fondness, she would be lost to all others. Mine for all eternity unless I chose to share
her.
Staring down into those fluttering blue eyes now, that seemed hard to believe. Why would I share a delicacy as good as this? Why would I allow that devotion to glimmer in her eyes for anyone but me?
“You think I’ll fall in love with you?”
If there was supposed to have been a sardonic edge to her tone, then she had failed, but she did not need me to indicate the fact. It was right there in her unraveling thoughts, frantic and evident for my appraisal.
“I think you will be obsessed.” I smiled at the comforting thought. “Needing nothing but my time and attention.” I paused, my lips twitching at the way she swallowed at the idea. “Except for one other thing, of course.”
“What?” The breathy response was immediate, evidence of the way she now hung on my every word.
The way they always did. In the end.
“What else will I need?”
I arched a brow at her, eager to see how she would respond to my next carefully selected words, and she did not let me down.
“My cock.”
For one moment, she was lost to the concept, her head bursting with the possibility. Her eyes squeezed closed, trying to burst the indulgent bubble, but it was too late—the idea was lodged there, growing within her as her gaze fluttered open.
“Don’t say that.”
“Oh, but I will.” I grinned at her, drawing her toward me so that only three inches remained between our mouths. “You have the heat, Cathy, and I have the time. Just imagine what we can achieve.”
And she did, her mind brimming with hot lustful stirrings as our gazes met.
“I know what you’re doing, demon,” she panted. “Don’t think I don’t know.”
“What am I doing?” She was as sexy as fuck this way, her fighting spirit finally subdued by the weight of the desire flooding her senses. No wonder Damon had wanted to stay. Cathy was electrifying.
“You’re trying to bewitch me.”
Damn Me: A Paranormal Demon Romance (The Demonology Series Book 4) Page 5