It could be emotional.
Liora brushed her knuckles across his cheek and he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. It still amazed her that such a powerful, dark male could be like this with her and her alone, seeking her affection and enjoying it when she gave it to him.
She pushed her fingers into the shorter hair at the back of his head and slowly lured him down to her, bringing his mouth close to hers. His warm breath skated over her lips, unsteady and fast, revealing that he was on the edge too, feeling nervous about doing this. He hid it well, far better than she probably was.
She had always believed that the best way to overcome fear was to face it.
Liora reached between them with her other hand and wrapped it around his shaft. Asmodeus’s hand covered hers, holding it against his flesh, and she thought he meant to stop her. There was resolve in his eyes though, passion that was breaking its restraints, coming to the surface. He held her hand to his flesh, shifted his hips back and guided himself to her with him.
She moaned as the crown nudged into her body and he eased forwards, slowly filling her. He took her hand from his and captured both of them, pressing his palms against hers and interlinking their fingers. Her breath left her on a sigh when he pinned her hands to the sand on either side of her head and eased into her, filling her completely, his gaze holding hers the whole time.
He lingered there, deep inside her in more than one way. She stared up into his golden eyes, drowning in them and the affection they showed her. He tightened his grip on her hands, holding on to her, and kissed her as he began to rock into her with long, slow strokes. She moaned into his mouth and closed her eyes, giving herself over to him, letting him have complete control as he made love with her.
Her chest tightened, her emotions running wild and consuming her as Asmodeus moved above her. More than their hands, bodies and lips were linked. It felt as if he had joined all of them, linking their souls and their hearts, moulding them into one being. Liora clutched his hands, her lips teasing his, brushing them lightly. She warmed all over, from her skin to her marrow, and deeper into her, until all of her burned for him and she felt sure that he burned for her too.
“Liora,” he whispered against her mouth, stroking his lips over hers, and moved into her, slow and deep, taking all of her as pleasure rippled through her. She belonged to him now, body and soul, and he belonged to her.
She didn’t care that he couldn’t pledge himself to her as he wanted to. This was a pledge in her eyes, this moment where their hearts, bodies and souls met in union.
“Asmodeus,” she echoed, breathless with pleasure and seeking more. He rocked deeper into her, tearing a soft moan from her throat, sending sparks of ecstasy chasing through her blood.
She undulated her hips, mimicking his actions, joining in as he gently quickened his pace. His fingers tightened, holding her hands, clutching them in a way that made her believe that he had truly meant his earlier words and would never let her go.
She searched for the courage to take things further, to show him that whatever he was feeling, she was right there with him, as lost as he felt.
Asmodeus drew back, breaking the kiss, and frowned down at her as he moved above her, pushing her closer to the fall into bliss. He searched her eyes, his intense, serious expression concerning her. He pushed her hands up, pinning them to the sand above her head, and pressed his forehead against hers. Their breath mingled, caressing her lips, and he thrust a few more times, taking her higher, before pulling back again and staring into her eyes, that same intense look in his. A flicker of fear lit their golden depths.
She was about to ask him what was wrong when he spoke.
“I love you, Liora,” he whispered, low and breathless, his voice flooded with passion and adoration.
She only had one thing she could say in response to that heartfelt, beautiful and brave declaration.
“I love you too.” She smiled and he caught it in a kiss, fiercer now, his passion flowing over her.
He released her hands and slid one beneath her back. The other claimed the nape of her neck. He kissed her harder, taking her mouth as he took her body, sending her rocketing higher until she couldn’t stop herself from pouring out her desire and her feelings too. She met him thrust for thrust, wrapping her legs around his backside and rocking her body against his, moaning as he drove deeper into her. She kissed him fiercely, nipping at his lower lip between each one, ripping rumbling moans from him.
“Liora,” he uttered, kissed down her jaw and buried his face in her neck. His hot breath sent shivery tingles racing over her skin with each panted exhalation.
Liora clung to him, moaning as he pumped into her, clutching her to him, holding on to her as tightly as she was holding on to him. She tipped her head back and stared up at the stars and the moon as her belly heated and tightened. Close. She groaned and grasped his hair, each hungry kiss he planted on her throat and each thrust of his steely hot length into her core driving her spiralling upwards. She clenched him and he unleashed a fierce growl and jerked hard inside her, thrusting deeper, his pelvis slamming against her sensitive flesh.
Liora bit back her cry of bliss and shattered, her body milking his and heat cascading over her flesh, running up and down her thighs and pumping through her blood, carrying ecstasy to every fibre of her being.
Asmodeus moaned huskily into her ear and drove harder into her, chasing his own pleasure and drawing hers out.
She flexed around him and raised her hips into his, and he grunted and slammed to a halt, his claws pressing into her back and her neck as he spilled himself inside her. He breathed hard against her throat, frozen and stiff above her, and then startled her by shifting quickly to her mouth and kissing her.
Instead of the hardness she wanted, he kissed her softly, sending more ripples of pleasure through her and heightening it, turning the ecstasy of making love with him into something more. Something divine.
She pressed her head back into the sand and he took the hint, drawing away from her.
Liora stared up into his eyes, seeing all of his feelings in them, every ounce of the love he had declared. It overwhelmed her and combined with all of her fears, everything from the past day crashing over her again.
She looked up at him and saw a man she couldn’t live without.
A man she wanted to be with forever.
Liora stroked his cheek, wishing there was something she could do to make sure he would always be with her, fearing that the Devil would catch up with them and separate them, and that she would lose the forever she wanted with him.
There was something she could do.
“You think sorrowful things,” he whispered, concern etched in his eyes. “Why? Tell me and I will find a way to bring back your smile.”
She did think sorrowful things and it was beautiful of him to notice and to want to vanquish her dragons for her, freeing her of her fears.
Liora undid the clasp of her necklace and offered it to him. “I want you to have it.”
Asmodeus stared at the pentagram in her palm. “Why?”
“Because it will protect you. It was my mother’s and my grandmother’s before that, and it goes back generations in my family. It has powerful magic. It will keep you safe. No one will be able to hurt you while you wear it.” She moved it closer to him.
He placed his hand under hers, curled her fingers over the pendant and held on to her. “You need it more than I do. I cannot accept it.”
Liora frowned. “I want you to have it, Asmodeus.”
Asmodeus sighed, kissed her fingers, and then shook his head.
Liora wanted to force him to accept it but the steely look in his eyes said that he wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard she pushed.
He took the pendant from her, placed it back around her neck and fastened it. He ran his fingers over the pentagram.
“Later, if you still want me to have it, I will accept it… when all this is over,” he whispered and looked back in
to her eyes.
Liora nodded, hooked her hand around the back of his neck and lured him down to her. She kissed him, pushing her fear out of her mind.
Asmodeus loved her and was thinking in terms of success, planning a future with her, a future he believed they would have together.
She had to think that way too.
She had to believe that they would make it through whatever trials lay ahead for them.
They would have the future she wanted for them.
They would have forever.
CHAPTER 20
Liora smiled as Romulus bounded after Remus, chasing him along the white sandy beach. Turquoise water lapped the gently sloping shore to her left as she walked, watching the two hellhounds. A gentle breeze caught the skirt of her summer dress, causing the black material to flutter around her thighs. The sun played on her skin, warming it and chasing the chill of night from the island as dawn broke, painting the sky in hues of gold, pink and green. It was a beautiful place, idyllic and quiet, and she had grown used to life on the island during the week she had passed here with Asmodeus and the others.
She had spent every day with Asmodeus, settling into a routine that she looked forward to repeating every morning that she woke wrapped in his arms, snuggled up against him.
They would share breakfast with the others and then spend some time with his hellhounds, walking them around the island a few times in an attempt to wear them out. Normally, all it did was wear her and Asmodeus out instead. Romulus and Remus had boundless energy and found every inch of the island fascinating, and most days they had gone off alone to investigate it, returning every so often to steal food from plates and check on Asmodeus, and sometimes growl at Apollyon.
After their morning walk, Liora and Asmodeus would have another small meal, and then they would try to help the others with whatever work they had to do. It had been her idea and Asmodeus had been uncertain about it at first.
After the initial couple of days, the frequent arguments between him and Apollyon had subsided, and the two had formed an uneasy truce. Asmodeus had started working more with Veiron, leaving the others to work together. It wasn’t the ideal solution, but Amelia and Marcus seemed to be finding it hard to trust Asmodeus.
Once they had done their work for the day, or Asmodeus had stormed off in a foul mood and she had gone after him, they would sit together on the sand, holding hands and watching the sun setting. Every evening had been beautiful, a colourful and vivid sunset that would stay with her forever.
Erin always called them over, labelling them as unsociable lovebirds. Asmodeus had bristled the first time she had called them that, until Erin had explained that she was teasing him. Veiron had said he didn’t think Asmodeus knew what teasing was and her angel had informed him that he knew very well what it was, because Liora often teased him.
In the time they had been on the island, she had felt as if someone was watching her more than once. The latest time had been last night, when she had been showing Asmodeus how to cook the chicken and other items he had acquired during a mission he had volunteered for. The normal fishing trip had produced nothing, not even small ones, and Asmodeus had refused to allow her, and everyone else, to eat the remains of their scant vegetable supply as dinner.
He had disappeared before anyone could say anything, casting a portal and stepping through it. She had worried about him from the moment he had left to the second he returned, carrying two large green baskets that told her that he had visited the scene of his previous crime to re-enact it. Apollyon and some of the others had given her a look that suggested she correct his behaviour.
She knew that she should, but he had brought cakes and chocolate, and she was a sucker for the sweet things. Erin was too. She had almost snapped Asmodeus’s arm off when he had taken three big bars of chocolate from a basket and held them out to Liora. Asmodeus had tried to resist her, but Erin had been vicious and merciless, not giving up and even resorting to flashing fangs and claws.
Liora had told him to let Erin have them, mostly because the poor woman was clearly craving chocolate and Veiron had had that edge about him that warned he was close to going demonic to ensure his female got the food she wanted.
Liora picked up a stick and dragged it behind her, scoring the sand with it.
This morning, Veiron and Erin had wanted to talk to Asmodeus about the Devil, and Romulus and Remus had decided that they didn’t want to wait for their morning walk. She had offered to take them alone when they had growled at the couple who were responsible for the delay, and Asmodeus had reluctantly agreed, saying he would catch up with her.
Remus shot across the sand and into the wooded centre of the island, re-emerging with a huge stick. Romulus tried to snatch it from him and Remus growled, baring his fangs. Romulus uncharacteristically let him have his way and trotted along the edge of the palm trees, digging in places and burying his nose in the scrub.
It was the same every morning. She was sure that there wasn’t an inch of the island that they hadn’t turned over and investigated, but it didn’t stop them from checking it out again. Liora didn’t think that it could have changed much overnight.
Remus grew bored of his stick and went off to find Romulus, who had ventured deeper into the thick, lush green forest.
Liora wiggled her wrist so the stick trailing behind her caused waves like a snake on the sand and she basked in the sunlight as she walked. It was truly beautiful on the island.
How long was Asmodeus going to take to catch up with her?
She was already halfway around the island and was getting bored. She missed talking to him while they walked, sharing the sunrise with him.
A breeze blew against her back, the familiar sound of wings reaching her ears. She smiled and waited, knowing he would come up beside her soon and slip his hand into hers.
She felt his presence behind her and his eyes on her.
A prickle ran down her spine. Her blood chilled. She knew the feel of that gaze. Her heart stopped.
Black clawed fingers closed over her mouth, pulling her back against the hard body behind her. She grabbed her attacker’s arm and yanked on it, lifting her legs and using all of her weight and her strength in an attempt to break free. Her magic rose to the fore to help her and she almost managed to pull the male hand away from her face. The man grabbed her with his other hand and covered her mouth again, silencing her before she could cry out for help. His finger and thumb pinched her nose, cutting off her air supply.
Liora panicked. Her magic burst out of control, lashing out at the man behind her and spilling his blood down his arms. He growled into her ear and she struggled, flailing wildly and kicking her legs. His grip on her tightened, his other arm moving to her chest to grab her arms. She fought him even as the world grew dim and her head spun, darkness encroaching and threatening to carry her away.
She couldn’t pass out. She couldn’t give in.
She lashed out and the man grabbed her arm, catching her necklace in the process. The chain snapped and Liora blindly grabbed for it, barely catching it. Remus barked. The man’s grip on her mouth and nose tightened and she lost her fight against him and the darkness. It swallowed her.
Liora’s head hurt. It felt as if someone was kicking it repeatedly, the rhythm of their assault leisurely but vicious, perfectly timed to keep her cringing with each thump.
“She wakes.” The deep male voice roused her further. Her attacker?
She tried to open her eyes and failed. They hurt as much as her head and her lungs. Acrid air filled them, the disgusting smell telling her exactly where she was without her having to see her surroundings.
Hell.
Liora focused, calling her magic to her, wanting it readily available in case she had to fight.
Nothing happened.
She concentrated harder, trying to call it to her. It failed to respond and cold stole through her veins. It wasn’t gone. She could feel it inside her. Deep inside her. It had never felt so dist
ant to her.
The man moved closer, his gaze locked on her, intense and creepy. Not the gaze of the man who had attacked her on the island. This was someone else, someone infinitely more powerful and more evil.
Liora finally managed to open her eyes and looked up at the face of her captor.
The Devil.
He preened black hair from his face and his golden eyes flashed with amusement, as if having her at his mercy entertained him.
“Having trouble with something?” he said, his voice curling around her and taunting her. It wasn’t having her at his mercy that amused him. He was entertained by the fact that she had tried to call her power and it had failed to come, and that she had been dismayed to find it locked deep within her, beyond her reach. “The first rule of engagement is to disable your enemy’s defensive line.”
“I’m your enemy?” She looked around her at the elegant black room, cataloguing her surroundings. The first rule of being a captive was to know everything about your location, including the nearest available objects that could be used as a weapon.
Large mirrors took up most of the four walls, their decorative gold frames a decadent contrast against the black. Ebony cabinets lined the two walls on either side of her, their broad flat tops empty, and a fireplace stood behind the man before her.
Other than breaking the mirrors and using a shard of the glass as a knife, there was no weapon available to her if she had to defend herself or turned insane enough to launch an attack on the Devil.
“Indeed... although I would prefer to think of you as my guest. The choice is up to you.” He looked her over and sighed emphatically. “It is a shame Asmodeus chose to disobey me. Things could have been far simpler, and better for all involved, had he carried out my commands.”
His golden eyes roamed back to hers and she could see the similarities between him and Asmodeus, and Erin. He had built Asmodeus in his image, moulding him to be everything he was, but Asmodeus was so much more than this man before her. She couldn’t believe what Asmodeus had told her about him. There was no good in him. Her senses were still online and all she could feel in him was pure evil and darkness.
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