Demon Fall (Resurrection Chronicles Book 9)

by M. J. Haag

  How had this not woken me up last night?

  After a moment, the shower started. I took the opportunity to fan my face on the off chance he’d be able to see my flush in the dark.

  “June?” Tor called, his dark fingers closing around the edge of the door.

  I collapsed like I was pretending to be dead, not sleeping. The thunder of my pulse in my ears didn’t cover the sound of his feet as he crossed the carpet.

  “You are everything,” he whispered. “I will distract you every day with my teasing until you no longer remember your hurt heart.” His fingers whispered over my cheek. “How can such a peaceful face fill me with such need that my cock already aches again?” He sighed, and I could almost picture his disgruntled expression. “I will need to stroke myself many times so I don’t release before morning.”

  The flush started creeping back into my cheeks. Thankfully, he didn’t continue stroking my face and notice the heat. He returned to the bathroom so I could die peacefully in mortification as I listened to him come twice more before he finally showered.

  If I were honest with myself, I was dying to slide my hand under the covers and do the same but too afraid of being caught. So I lay there, pretending to sleep and focusing on my breathing until he emerged from the bathroom and quietly got in on his side of the bed.

  I almost jumped out of my skin when his arms slid around me and he pulled me close, dipping his head to the crook of my neck to breathe in deeply.

  “No food will ever taste or smell as good as you do, June,” he said softly, nuzzling slightly.

  I thought for sure he would hear the way my pulse raced. Instead, he eased back and sighed gustily. While it only took him a few minutes to fall asleep, it took me much, much longer. Enough time for me to breathe him in like he’d done to me and think about what he’d said.

  Tor had spent his day purposely distracting me from thinking of Adam. And it had worked. I couldn’t remember thinking of him once. What did that say about me?

  Chapter Seventeen

  I woke up on top of Tor again. His hand rubbed my back soothingly even as his hard length pressed against my stomach.

  “This can’t be comfortable for you,” I mumbled against his chest.

  “Why not? I like the feel of your body against mine. Each exhale teases my nipple. And sometimes you wiggle to get more comfortable.” His massive cock twitched between us. “I like when you wiggle.”

  Opening my eyes, I sighed gustily. On purpose. The nipple near my mouth pebbled, and he twitched again.

  My humor died when he growled low.

  “Sorry. I shouldn’t have teased you.”

  “I like when you tease me.”

  I lifted my head and looked down at him.

  “If not for sour cream and onion chips and strawberry oatmeal, I’d think you liked everything.”

  “No. Only everything about you.”

  He said the sweetest things. My thoughts went back to last night and what he’d said when he thought I was asleep.

  “Tor, I don’t know what I’m doing when I’m with you.”

  “You can do anything you want. Lick me. Wiggle on me. Kiss me.”

  He flashed his teeth, and I knew he was at least slightly teasing. Though, I had no doubt he’d welcome any of those actions from me.

  “I think sleeping on top of you and having you carry me around all day is enough touching for now.”

  He grunted, a speculative look coming onto his face.

  “You might like it all, though. Give it a try like I tried your chips.”

  My initial smile faded as I stared down at him and thought through his suggestion. The urge to dip my head and lick his nipple was there. But so was the awareness that I’d probably like it. A lot.

  “I don’t think I should,” I said.

  Something in my tone robbed him of his playfulness. His hungry gaze swept over my face.

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t think one taste of you will be enough.”

  His hips jerked underneath me, and his jaw clenched.

  “The sun will rise soon,” he said tightly. “Go dress for the supply run.”

  I eased off of him, and from the corner of my eye, I caught the way he palmed himself. My face flushed as I hurried to the bathroom. His groan echoed through the door while I brushed my teeth. When I emerged, the bedding was missing. That only made my flush deepen.

  What was I doing? I wasn’t purposely trying to torment Tor, but I still was because of my honesty. I didn’t want to lie to him, though. Like he said, he was learning about women. It wasn’t fair to withhold what I was truly thinking and feeling.

  Guilt plagued me as I made my way downstairs and found Tor at the stove, making me breakfast.

  “I’m sorry, Tor. I shouldn’t have said what I did this morning. It wasn’t nice.”

  He turned off the stove and faced me. He wore the shirt I’d found for him yesterday. It hugged his shoulders and chest but hid his abs from my view, which was slightly disappointing.

  “It was very nice. The only way it wouldn’t be nice was if it were a lie. Did you lie to me, June?”

  I swallowed hard and shook my head. He came around the counter and set his hands on my shoulders.

  “I hope that, one day, you will sample me and never want to stop. That you are as addicted to my taste as I am to yours.”

  My core clenched at his words.

  “But if that doesn’t happen, I will not be angry. How can I? Thank you for allowing me to care for you, June. Know that is enough if that is all you will allow me.” His fingers tangled with the ends of my hair and gave the strands a few gentle tugs. “Eat your breakfast.”

  Rather than doing what I was told, I slid my arms around his waist and hugged him. Another growl rumbled through his chest.

  “Do you promise to tell me if you ever feel that I’m being unfair to you?” I asked.

  “I promise,” he said, his hands already smoothing over my back.

  I nodded and pulled away to eat the breakfast he’d made for me.

  If I was toying with Tor’s heart, he was undoubtedly doing the same with mine. I didn’t feel like I was fresh out of a failed relationship. I felt like I was in the throes of a new one. It was terrifying and exciting, and I wasn’t sure how I’d stay focused on the supply run.

  When he carried me to Tenacity, I spent the entire time breathing him in. When I drove the truck, half my attention was on not killing the engine and the other half was watching Tor move. When it was time to search houses in the suburbs, I was busy resting my cold hand over Tor’s steadily beating heart.

  He only reluctantly set me down when it was time for me to search the cupboards, and he hovered close by. I could feel that something had shifted between us. Like we were standing on the edge of a cliff. Or maybe I was standing on the edge, and he was waiting below, ready to catch me.

  Somehow, I managed to stay focused enough to coordinate my team’s efforts and clear the house in a record amount of time. We moved from one place to the next, accumulating supplies. The people from Tenacity stopped around lunch to eat in the back of one of the trucks. Tor and I ate in a house with the rest of our team. I used the break to invite them over for dinner at dusk, which they all readily agreed to do.

  As soon as I’d eaten enough, we continued gathering until another fey said we needed to move. A herd of infected was coming our way, and Ryan didn’t want a repeat of the day before.

  Richard drove us back, keeping me entertained with fey stories from when he first met them. My gaze kept straying to Tor as Mya’s dad related how many times he’d overheard a fey asking his wife sexual questions. He even admitted to hitting one, which he didn’t recommend since he only hurt himself and not the fey.

  When we reached Tenacity, I didn’t bother with claiming any supplies for myself. I went straight to Tor and breathed him in as he ran home with me. So many thoughts raced through my head, but the ones that kept playing on repeat were his groan
s of pleasure…because of me. Richard’s story drove home what I already knew. The fey were starved for female attention in any form. Looking. Talking. Touching. All of it.

  As soon as the door closed behind us, I turned to Tor.

  “I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

  He paused from taking a boot off and straightened to give me a confused look.

  “You’ve never had a woman do anything for you before me. Of course you’re going to like me for being nice to you and sleeping next to you. It feels like Adam trick-started your interest in me when he sent you to wake me up. I’m not a mean person. I would never purposely hurt you. But that doesn’t mean I’m the love of your life. Not when you haven’t even been out there to play the field.” I took a deep breath. “I think you need to see other women.”

  He blinked at me. That was it. A blink. Then, he returned to the task of removing his boots.

  “I need some kind of verbal feedback here. I haven’t yet perfected the art of reading minds.”

  “I think you’re afraid. You’re feeling too much for me too quickly, and I’m sorry I caused you to feel nervous and embarrassed and, now, afraid. If it will make you feel better if I look at other women, I will do that. I don’t think playing in a field will make them any more appealing to me or me to them, though.”

  I stared at him for a moment. How did he manage to keep saying all the right things?

  “You are lovable, Tor. I only want to make sure other women have a chance to see what I see.”

  “No one sees me the way you do.” He snagged my zipper and eased it down. “When you look at me, my blood heats. My cock hardens.” He slid his hands inside my jacket and over my shoulders, slipping it off of me. “I want to smile and laugh when I’m with you. You bring joy to my life where there was none.” He hung my jacket and bent down to remove my boots. “I know you need more time, June. I will not rush you to make choices you are not ready to make.”

  He set my boots aside and stood to press his forehead against mine.

  “I only ask that you don’t push me away. Keep telling me I scare you. I will do everything I can to ease your fears.”

  “I have so many fears.”

  “Not too many for me. You are safe with me, June. Always.”

  I closed my eyes and nodded. He pulled away, brushing his lips against my forehead before wrapping me in one of his hugs.

  “We should start dinner,” he said against me.

  It was just the distraction I needed. While the electric pressure cooker worked its magic on the large roast, I made a small side of vegetables and helped Tor find more chairs for the dining room table. I wanted us all to sit together, but seven would be a cozy fit. Tor assured me no one would mind.

  When we finished setting the table, we went through Tor’s supply of games.

  The first knock on the door came just before the timer went off for the meat. Tor answered it so I could whip up the gravy. Something he said he hadn’t yet tried.

  I smiled at Noru and Ashkii then waved them over when I saw them curiously watching what I was doing. It didn’t take long for the rest of the team to show up. I laughed and talked to the fey who I’d been around enough to know by name. Scath teased me almost as much as Tor did. Fallor quietly observed everything, and Hasten’s ears turned dark every time I spoke to him. He was easily the shyest of the group.

  The gravy was a hit and disappeared just as quickly as the meat. However, the veggies, not so much. I finished those. When we were done, the fey thanked me for dinner and helped clean off the table, eager for the card games I’d mentioned. Two decks made Go-Fish interesting. The guys laughed and bantered with one another, and I loved the comradery.

  When I broke out a bag of chips as the night wore on, Tor groaned and I could see a few of his friends grow curious. It turned into a round of making each fey try a chip. Not a single one of them liked the taste, but Scath said he would eat anything a female fed him without complaint.

  The group got really quiet, and they all glanced at Tor.

  “What?” I asked. “You’re making me feel paranoid. What’s Tor been telling you?”

  Hasten’s ears turned dark grey when I pinned him with my gaze.

  “Tell me what you know about women.”

  “They are afraid to look at us.”

  I shook my head.

  “Not true. I’m not afraid to look at you.” I looked at Noru. “What about you?”

  “They like different things.”

  My wide smile had him smiling in return.

  “Exactly. Women are all different. If one doesn’t want to look at you, try another. Or try a different way to get her attention.”

  “Some women like when we don’t wear a shirt,” Tor said. “They will look at us for a very long time then.”

  I flushed scarlet at that one.

  “What are other things we can do to get a woman’s attention?” Ashkii asked.

  “Stuff like this,” I said. “Asking honest questions.”

  “Emily said that not all honest questions are good,” Hasten said.

  Scath nodded. “Asking to taste a woman’s pussy is against date night rules. Emily said she would cancel date nights if we ask that.”

  I cleared my throat twice while they all waited expectantly for my opinion on that.

  “We’re private creatures by nature. We like clothes and coverings. Asking to see something we keep very hidden can be taken as an insult. It’s something a woman would only share with someone she’s very close with.”

  Understanding lit every male face at the table.

  “Emily said we must get to know a woman first. But I didn’t understand how we could know a woman when we couldn’t ask all of our questions,” Noru said.

  “It’s about getting to know a woman in the right order. First, you need to know her mind, then her heart. Once you think you know both, you might get away with asking questions about her body. But even then, you might get slapped.”

  They all nodded thoughtfully, and I hoped my explanation would give them a better chance with the ladies at Tenacity.

  The group left with a lot of good nights and sleep sweets and promises to see me in the morning. I couldn’t stop yawning as Tor and I cleaned up the kitchen and started the dishwasher.

  “This was a good night. Thank you for letting me invite them over,” I said to Tor as he washed the counters.

  “You showed us all that there is still hope.”

  “Hope for what?”

  “For happiness. For a female of our own. For a life we want to live.”

  I went to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, and he hugged me in return.

  “Go get ready for bed, June. I will come upstairs soon.”

  My heart gave a stuttering jolt at his words and what he’d likely do again tonight.

  I rubbed my face against Tor’s chest and shifted a little in my half-asleep state, trying to get more comfortable on top of him. His hips arched against me ever so slightly a moment before his fingers ran through my hair.

  A small sound of pleasure escaped me. I loved sleeping on top of Tor. He was warm and touched me non-stop. I didn’t realize how much I craved being touched and didn’t know if it was a new thing, a Tor thing, or a need that had always been hidden away, waiting to be discovered.

  Moving my face again, I brushed my lips over his skin and felt his nipple. My tongue darted out.

  The world flipped as Tor rolled us impossibly fast. One moment, I was on top; and the next, I was underneath him. He had my hands pinned above my head and leaned in, nuzzling the side of my neck. He inhaled deeply at the same time he slowly arched into me.

  I gasped at the friction of his hot length against my folds, and my hips jerked in response.

  He growled, the sound vibrating against my chest and filling my ears even as he nipped my neck.

  “You are right, my June,” he rasped. “It is difficult to stop.” He licked me and groaned, pressing little kisse
s along my throat.

  Then he was gone, the door to the master bath closing firmly behind his retreat.

  I lay on the mattress, panting and very awake. It would have been easy to stay there until my heart stopped racing, but I knew what he was doing in the bathroom and didn’t need to hear another throaty groan ripped from his lips because of me.

  So, I grabbed my things and hurried downstairs to get ready for the day. It was a good thing, too, because I heard a knock on the front door just as I tugged my shirt over my head. Upstairs, the shower ran as I hurried to answer.

  Emily stood on the stoop, bundled in her winter coat against the cold predawn air.

  “Hey, June.”

  “Good morning. Come in.”

  I lightly shivered as I closed the door.

  “I hear you,” Emily said, noting my chill. “Spring cannot come soon enough. Sorry to stop by so early. I was going to stop by last night but saw you had a houseful.”

  “Tor and I hosted dinner and a game night for the fey who’ve been assigned to me on the supply runs. It was fun. I think they really enjoyed themselves.”

  “Trust me. They did. That whole ‘get to know their mind and heart before their body’ advice is a huge help.”

  “How do you know that already?” I asked before I could stop myself.

  She chuckled. “They don’t seem to need as much sleep as we do, and word spreads quickly. Which is why I wanted to talk to you. The fey cooks and servers are as ready as they can be for the simple meals we want them to make and serve. Matt’s kitchen and dining area setup are too. I think we should start today before anyone notices the tables and starts asking Matt questions.”

  “Today sounds good,” I said.

  “Matt explained more of the plan to me. Are you sure you want to move back there?”

  “I do. And I’m not worried. Tor will be there. I know he won’t let anything bad happen to me.”

  “But will you make sure nothing happens to Tor?” Emily asked, not unkindly.