Hidden In Darkness (A Seven Realms Book Book 1)

by S. J. Stewart

  He inhaled her scent before opening his eyes to look at her. “You look tired. Would you like to sleep?”

  Melas’ brow creased. “Are you kidding?”

  His face was completely serious as he watched her with a softness that was slowly making her his. “I just want to give you what you need.”

  It was official, Ridhor was the perfect male specimen.

  Lifting her head, she pressed her lips lightly against his before gliding her hand along his cheek. “I haven’t even gotten to see you naked yet.” She smirked.

  Ridhor smiled. “You see me naked, then sleep?” He asked.

  She snickered, shaking her head. “Not a chance.”

  Raising a brow, he smiled as he stepped off the bed. He moved so he was standing at the edge of the bed right at her eye-line before he shoved his sweats down and stepped out.

  Surprise stilled her for a moment as she took him in. She’d never seen the point in flattering a man’s size. Not everyone was big and throbbing. If it got the job done, it didn’t matter what size he was. That being said, Ridhor was exactly what she imagined every man hoped he would be.

  Thick, long, and more than a little intimidating.

  Melas didn’t know whether to thank whatever god created him or write her last will and testament.

  He stayed where he was, his eyes examining hers and reading her in the way only he could. “We don’t have to have sex, Melas.” He assured her. “I would be more than happy if you would just agree to spend the night here with me.”

  No sex and just cuddling.

  Cuddling next to him and the thing between his legs that threatened to split her in two.

  Be brave, she reminded herself. Biting down on the inside of her cheek to keep herself from asking if any of his previous lovers survived.

  Crawling onto the bed, he scooted back against the tan plush headboard and pulled her into his arms until she was burrowed into his side. Grabbing onto her arm, he brought it around his stomach before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. “You’re tired. Sleep.”

  Melas looked up at him and he pressed a kiss to her nose. Her eyes dropped to his hard erection and settled there. Her brow creased. There was no way she was going to sleep.

  She was a warrior, not afraid of anything. She could do this, easily.

  Reaching out she ran her finger down the length of him.

  He shuddered, his hand catching her wrist before she could trace the throbbing head. “Melas,” his voice was low.

  It caused heat to pool between her thighs. Wrapping her hand around him, she tried to close her fingers. She couldn’t quite get her middle and thumb to touch, but he was a big guy and maybe she had smaller hands than she thought.

  She slowly moved her hand up his length, hesitating for only a moment before running her thumb around the thick head of him. She gathered the liquid seeping from his tip and moved it around, using it to slick her fingers.

  He groaned, his grip loosening on her wrist. She could see the muscles in his stomach clenching and rippling, his chest heaving.

  Turning her face up to face him, she pressed her lips to his.

  Letting go of her wrist, he pulled her face towards him. The soft sweetness gave way to hot desperation as he parted her lips and his tongue dove in her mouth. He kept pace with her hand, flicking his tongue, swirling it around in a dizzying kiss that had her both floating and falling.

  “Ridhor,” she pulled away from him panting. “I want to feel you.” All the fear she felt before melted away, the heat building yet again.

  Even in the throes of passion as she continued to pump him in her hand he asked her; “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Rolling her onto her back, he settled on top of her. The heavy weight of his erection rested against her made her shudder in anticipation.

  He took his time, running his hands over her, teasing her before dropping his head and sucking her nipple into his mouth. Melas arched off the bed, her legs widening to clutch the sides of his waist. “Do you have a condom?”

  He broke his mouth away from her chest. “A what?”

  Her voice was strained, need taking over her. “A condom.” She repeated.

  Realization clicked and he shook his head. “No. We can neither procreate nor catch disease. We have no use for condoms.”

  “You can’t catch diseases?”

  He shook his head. “Disease only afflicts humans.”

  Good to know.

  “Do you wish to stop?” He asked her.

  They were in the Mortal Realm so if she wanted to stop and reconvene after they got condoms, she didn’t think Ridhor would fuss about it. She also knew he wasn’t a liar and would never try to take advantage of her. This wasn’t him telling her something in hopes of getting a ride he would enjoy a little more. It took him a minute to even realize what she meant when she asked for one.

  She shook her head.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I’m sure.”

  Dropping his head, he took her nipple in his mouth again, adjusting his position on top of her.

  She could feel him at her entrance, enticing her as their need built higher and higher. His mouth on her chest as his hand dipped between her legs to massage her clit had her practically thrashing, an inch away from jumping off the edge and into another wave of pleasure.

  Then, it hit her.

  Rapture took hold and he used that moment to thrust forward.

  Gasping, her hands shot out to wrap around his arms. She was so full, still riding her orgasm. She felt tight around him, too tight. It wasn’t quite pain but a feeling of being full to her very brink and the threat of bursting just out of her reach.

  His eyes met hers, a question there as her grip tightened around his arms.

  He waited sunk into her to the hilt, the warmth of his groin pressed into her.

  She took a moment, catching her breath before she rocked her hips forward.

  And shattered.

  * * *

  Warmth spread through her under her skin, it encompassed every dark shadow, every crack and crevice through the entirety of her being. Lying in the dim light of Ridhor’s room with the weight of his arm thrown over her side, she felt at home.

  Ridhor groaned, low and sultry as he pulled her back into his chest. The thickness of his beard tickled her back, she put her hair up in a bun before they laid down to sleep leaving her back completely bare to him.

  She was slightly sore in the best possible way.

  A slow grin spread across her face as memories of their night together flashed to the front of her mind. She wanted him for so long before she decided to scratch her itch. Never had she imagined it would be that spectacular.

  That kind of sex was the kind people fantasize about but never really got. He satisfied her so thoroughly, it was a wonder she hadn’t just melted into the mattress.

  “Melas, go to sleep.” He groaned, his voice still thick and groggy. “I can’t sleep with you smelling like that.”

  She bit down on her lip to keep from laughing. Was it as strong as they claimed? He’d been dead to the world a moment ago.

  “Please. You’ve exhausted me.” His voice was sleepy but playful.

  She did laugh then. “Okay. Sorry.”

  He pressed a kiss into her neck. “Don’t be sorry.”

  Throwing his hand off her waist, her eyes scoured the darkness for a shirt. Finding the one she wore in here, she scooped it up and pulled it on.

  “Where are you going?” He was propped up on his elbow now, looking at her. All signs of sleep he previously wore gone as his brow furrowed, his eyes watching her. “Don’t leave. I’ll suffer to have you in my bed.”

  Christ, what was she going to do with him? She thought.

  “Despite my bitchy attitude, I don’t want you to suffer.” She crossed the room to the bed and pressed a slow kiss to his lips. “Besides, I have to pee and want to check on Zura.”

  “Then, yo
u’ll come back?” He asked her. There was something in his voice that made her pause. It was vulnerability.

  Brow raised, she ran her hand across his cheek in a gesture that was becoming second nature to them. “Maybe.” She teased.

  Turning to walk towards the door, she paused with her hand on the knob.

  Copper and spice.

  “Are you kidding me?” She whispered. Stalking over to the corner, she reached into the shadows and focused on the scent that was soon to be formally known as Andrei.

  He stumbled out of the shadows, holding his hands up in surrender with a grin on his face. “Aw come on, if Orren could, he would be hidden in the shadows here with me. If your scent was fire you would have burned the whole house down tonight.” He ran his tongue over his lips, his hungry gaze moving from her head to her toes.

  She expected knowing he was here watching her and Ridhor together to wake up the rage she buried inside, but she was wrapped in the bliss of several amazing orgasms and even Andrei being a creep couldn’t ruin her mood. Shoving him back towards Ridhor, she shook her head.

  “You deal with him, I’m too tired for this.” It was true. Her body was so relaxed, she wasn’t sure she could form the fist needed to punch him in the nose.

  “Andrei,” Ridhor growled.

  Opening the door, she slipped into the hall.

  She half expected to find Orren standing there, where there was one there was usually the other. The hallway was empty, and she was a little relieved to not have to face off with anyone else.

  Something was blooming in the pit of her belly, wrapping her insides up in knots. It wove parts of her together with Ridhor making her feel euphoric. Letting out a giddy sigh, she walked into the bathroom promising herself she would remember to be angry with Andrei tomorrow.

  33

  ORREN

  A strong pull clasped at his chest, nearly doubling him over.

  Melas’ could scarcely be heard moving through the house, quiet as a ghost but her scent was overwhelming. It burned through him, calling to him like a Siren song as she walked through the halls to Ridhor’s room. He didn’t have to be an Oracle to know what she was after and the pang of longing he felt was unbearable.

  To save himself the torment, he escaped to the dreamscape. In his familiar hallway, he could find solace.

  The rich carpet felt wonderful under the soles of his bare feet and he took his time choosing a door. He let the light and airy silence envelop him, welcoming him home. Here he belonged and everything made sense.

  There were no questions without answers, no nagging that burrowed under the skin, no thorns in his side. There was only the familiarity of his doors, and the comforts he created behind them with whatever being’s subconscious he stepped into.

  Reaching his hands out beside him, he let the cool wood kiss the tips of his fingers as he walked, feeling the pulse of each door under his palms begging him to come in. He walked down the hall, eyes closed and his head tilted back as he waited for someone who wanted him with a need so desperate, he could do nothing else but abide them.

  Then, there she was.

  Her door practically pulled him in, begging him to satisfy her. It’d been far too long and she was losing her sanity to wanting.

  Opening the door, he stepped inside.

  The floor was lush beneath his feet; a blend of thick grass and heavy moss. It was cool but not cold as he walked over it to the pond set in the middle of the room. The whole room was bordered in trees, the brown bark covering the walls. Roots jutted out of the floor in some spots, high enough to sit on if you were feeling weary.

  Thin vines of the willow trees curtained the room, pulled back around the pond where she sat to provide a little oasis for just the two of them.

  She looked over her shoulder at him. “I was waiting for you.” She smiled.

  Her skin was a pale blue, the same colour as the pond she sat before. Her hair was a lush green, pulled forward over her shoulder so he could admire the line of her naked back, down to the round buttocks she sat on. Her thick lashes fluttered at him, her deep red lips tantalizing.

  They weren’t quite the ones he wanted, but they would do.

  The river Nymph turned slightly on the stone, giving him an unobstructed view of her breast as she looked at him, blush stained her cheeks causing them to ripple. She was water trapped underneath translucent skin. It was breathtakingly beautiful and he couldn’t help but let his eyes roam over her as her need sang through her mind.

  “I’ve been practically begging for an Incubus to pay me a visit. I’ve so much pent-up lust I’m drowning in it.”

  Orren chuckled at what he hoped she meant to be a joke. For someone completely made up of water to be drowning in anything was funny.

  She pushed off the rock, bouncing towards him as her bright blue eyes shone. “Now that I finally have you here, I do hope you’re going to make it worth my while.”

  With a slight wave of his hand, a man stepped out from behind the vine curtain. He was as naked as she was with skin a stunning ebony. It gleamed in the sunlight pouring through the space above the pond as he stepped up behind her. He traced the lines of her arms with his hands before pressing a kiss to her neck.

  She tilted her head back, leaning it against his shoulder as a woman stepped out from behind another tree. Her skin was deep red and she had gleaming black horns growing out of her forehead. Her chest was heavy, sporting black nipples that match the shade of her horns and the blackness crawling up her legs towards her knees. She smiled, showing sharp teeth as she walked towards the Nymph and ran a red hand down her naked belly.

  The Nymph sucked in a breath, closing her eyes.

  “I have a human and a demon, what about an Incubus?” The air already ripe with lust and need leaching into the pores of his skin. Normally that would be all it took for him to take his place in the orgy about to ensue, but he couldn’t bring himself to go any closer.

  Black eyes and wide-set plump lips called to him, telling him he was already hers.

  Swallowing hard, he flicked his wrist again.

  Heavy steps sounded and a hoofed foot appeared out from behind a tree. Furry legs climbed up to a sculpted smooth chest, with defined pecs and a perfect six-pack. Long black hair hung over his bronzed shoulders, rams horns curling from the thickness at the top of his head.

  She swallowed, her eyes opening to take him in. “A Satyr?” Satisfaction spread across her face as the man lifted her from her feet so she could wrap her thighs around the demon’s waist. They walked over to the Satyr, sandwiched together before dropping down to the lush grass by the trees. Smoke billowed from the Demon’s nostrils as she ran a long tongue down the length of her neck.

  Orren’s chest ached, pulling.

  “Ridhor.” A breathy moan broke through the trees, the room around him flickering for a moment before he was standing in Ridhor’s room at the foot of the bed.

  Melas’ legs were wrapped around Ridhor’s waist. He moved inside her with slow, teasing strokes that had her writhing beneath him, her fingers sinking into his flesh as her head was thrown back in the sheets.

  Turning, he saw Andrei standing in the shadows, his gaze locked on them as his eyes were rimmed with red. His fangs poked out from the crease of his lips as he watched Ridhor kiss a line from her jaw down to the rise of her breasts.

  Their eyes met for a moment and heat flashed between them.

  She was so beautiful, her brown skin flushed and slicked with sweat as she moved her hips to meet his thrusts.

  Fuck.

  Ridhor was so attentive, he left no inch of her unexplored, milking every ounce of pleasure from her. Their ecstasy slammed into him, making him dizzy as it ran through his veins like a drug stealing his senses.

  Blinking, the Nymph’s room appeared in front of him again.

  It was filled with moans as the four of them writhed together in a sensual heap.

  Orren frowned.

  What the hell just happened? H
e wondered.

  His mind went back to the intimate night they spent together, how she appeared to him like a dream, fulfilling his every fantasy. He felt that same pull when he appeared at the foot of Ridhor’s bed, their bliss still pumped through his veins making him feel like he was traipsing through the Elysian fields.

  He swallowed hard.

  The two of them together had his heart pounding. Not with jealousy, but with wanting. He wanted to be there, instead of here in this fantasy created for a horny Nymph.

  Working Melas over as Ridhor plunged into her.

  A low groan escaped his throat as he turned to leave the room. He couldn’t stay here, he needed to get out of here. Somewhere there was no sex.

  What an odd thought for an Incubus to have.

  34

  MELAS

  Every muscle in her body was thoroughly relaxed. She couldn’t remember the last time all her nerves were unwound, laid out flat through her body, her muscles not clenched in anticipation of what might come. Even after a shower, she felt like the woodsy scent of Ridhor still clung to her skin, the oils he always provided for them coating her hair and reminding her with every inhale of the night before.

  He’d been attentive, more focused on her needs than his own. His touch ignited her making her feel if he kept at it, she would completely burn to ash and wither away.

  That feeling of completely letting go, surrendering to his hands and his lips was addictive. She was always in control, with a firm grip on the reigns of her life. Letting go had been liberating, even if only for a night.

  The world lifted off the centre of her chest and she could breathe again, thrown into pleasure so intense the very thought of it warmed her flesh and unleashed butterflies in her belly.

  As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she wasn’t sure what she would do if their paths diverted sending her and Ridhor separate ways. She didn’t need him in her life, she didn’t need anyone but Zura. But she was brave enough to admit she wanted him there. She wanted that strength that held her together as she let herself fall to pieces.