“Figured you’d be needing another round,” Ixion offered, running a hand through his tussled black hair. “I certainly do.”
“Your day was that bad too, huh?” she asked, stepping past him to unlock her door and let them both inside.
“You could say that,” he shrugged. “Or you could say that it sucked balls. Then again, I suppose you’d have to have actual good days though in order to see the bad.”
“I understand that,” she sighed, moving to sit in the chair across from him. “I can’t remember a time when there were good days, honestly. There must’ve been those days, right?”
“I have to imagine,” he offered.
She watched as he poured two glasses and she reached out to accept it before saying “I thought I was getting this round.”
“I’m not sure that we’re at the stage of our relationship where I can trust you to get a decent bottle of something,” he said with a smirk before clinking his glass against hers.
There was a halfhearted chuckle shared between them before they both emptied the contents of their glasses. Serafina had already decided that she very much liked the idea of getting drunk tonight with Ixion.
“You want another?” he asked, already refilling his glass.
“Keep ‘em coming!” she nodded.
In the time it took for Ixion to fill her glass again, she’d managed to replay the events of that day three times over in her head. Scowling, she downed her second serving and held it out to wait for the third.
“Want to talk about it?” Ixion offered, his eyes softening at the sight as he reluctantly poured.
When her glass was only half full, she snatched the bottle from his hand and began chugging it from the source until she began to lose track of directions. Only then did she stop, handing it back with a shaky hand.
“You’ll prob’ly think I’m crazy… prob’ly,” she laughed as she replayed the line in her own head. “I… I think the only reason that… that B-Bailey didn’t think I was crazy was because she saw it fer herself.”
“I think you’re gonna have to backtrack a little,” Ixion raised an eyebrow. “Like, who’s Bailey? And why would I think you’re crazy? Maybe you should put this down while you explain,” he went to reach for the drink and she pulled back, chugging down the rest of the contents in one swallow.
“I… I’ve prob’ly, maybe have… have had a bit too much… but—BUT!—I know what I’m talking a-bout,” she frowned. “I… I’m here to stop a demon. The sumda bitch murdered my husband an’… an’ took my child—my… my baby!” she looked up and whimpered as the vision of Ixion was distorted by fresh tears. “I… I won’t stop ‘til he’s DEAD!”
“A demon?” Ixion’s body tensed and he sat back.
“Yeah, a demon… well, that’s what I call him, anyway,” she frowned, looking down. “Who knows wha’ he really is. Rumpelstiltskin… You… you prob’ly think I’m crazy, right? Talkin’ ‘bout fairytales an’ gettin’ drunk an’ riskin’ life of only friend I got, right?”
Ixion didn’t respond, only stared down at the glass in his hand.
Serafina didn’t blame him. Most wouldn’t know how to respond if someone came to them spouting about fairytale villains that they were after. Deciding that much rather do something other than talk about her past, she stood and stepped towards him. Looking over Ixion, she realized she wanted to fuck him.
No, she needed to.
Dragging herself forward, she moved to lean down, closing in to seal the deal. As her lips nearly touched his, his hands shot up and he pushed her away. She frowned, gazing up, shocked, as Ixion moved from his seat, heading towards the door.
“I can’t,” he frowned, shaking his head. “Shit, I’m…I’m sorry, alright? Just… forget about this.”
She watched through increasingly blurring vision as he slipped out the door and closed it gently behind him, leaving her alone.
Alone to her thoughts.
Alone to her memories.
Alone to her hatred.
The tears came and this time she didn’t fight them, allowing herself to fall to the floor as she buried her face into her hands. What had she just done? She threw herself at a complete stranger. She was supposed to be out there stopping the demon who killed her husband and took her child and yet here she was getting drunk and nearly fucking some strange man she met at a seedy motel.
Even with that, she couldn’t see Ixion as the bad guy.
He had stopped her.
He stopped her from making possibly another huge mistake.
So why did she still feel so empty without him there?
Ignoring that last thought, she stood and began to take out her emotions on herself. Leaning forward, she began to do push-ups, pushing her body beyond what it comfortably could do. She didn’t stop there, either. After finishing two-hundred push-ups, she stood and began to do squats. Another two-hundred. Her legs and abs were burning from the excursion, but she continued.
Two-hundred jumping jacks.
MORE!
Two-hundred lunges.
Two-hundred sit-ups.
MORE!
MORE!
MORE!
But there was no more on her workout roster, so she just cycled back around and did another two-hundred push-ups.
She swore that she’d keep doing this until her body came undone by its own strain or she was magically transformed into somebody who didn’t screw up every chance she got.
But neither of those things came…
By the time she was finished, panting and unable to lift herself, the alcohol had completely run its course. Moving to the bed, she fell back and closed her eyes. She could forget Ixion, it was for the better that she forgot about him.
She had a demon to kill still, after all.
Chapter 6
Serafina hardly slept the night before and the little sleep she had managed to get was spotty at best. With how hard she had pushed herself the night before, her body was aching everywhere. As she met Bailey the morning after, they went back to the hotel they had been at the prior night only to find that, like Serafina had expected, Rumpelstiltskin had already moved locations. It had been an awkward exchange when she and Bailey charged into the room, only to find it being cleaned by two terrified maids. Before they had a chance to call for security, Serafina had cast a spell to have them forget about the whole ordeal.
Serafina frowned, following Bailey out of the hotel, and realized they were back to square one. She had used both resources she had and they hardly had any information that helped in the first place. It was unlikely that they would have anything new for them now.
“You had a list of places he has a tendency of going to, right?” Bailey tilted her head. “Can you show it to me?”
“Sure,” Serafina sighed, handing it over without much hope of it leading to anything.
After a long moment of studying the list, Bailey shrugged. “You know, these places aren’t exactly that random. I mean, it’s not a clear-cut pattern, but this guy’s clearly got a taste for the finer things—what with the gold and all—and it looks like his tastes have him pretty isolated to the upper-class districts.” Bailey tilted her head, running her index finger down the last few entries, “Not only that, the more recent ones all pretty much occupy the same stretch of property.”
“So that must mean if he moved in such a hurry…” Serafina blinked.
Baily grinned, already nodding. “Odds are the location he picked isn’t too far from here.”
“Oh my… Bailey, I could kiss you!” Serafina started to shake with excitement but then paused. “We need supplies… and I need more information.”
“What do you mean?” Bailey asked, tilting her head.
“If I plan to stop him, I need to know everything about him,” Serafina looked over. “We need to go to Chinatown.”
“Again?” Bailey blinked.
Serafina nodded, “There’s another shop I spotted when I went last time…they had a lot of
magic surrounding them. I think they might be able to help us.”
“Then let’s go!”
It took them four hours to find the shop.
Serafina was distracted and she hated to admit that the sting of Ixion’s rejection last night was the cause. Drunk enough to throw yourself at the guy, she thought bitterly at herself, but not nearly drunk enough to forget. As they got any and all information they could from the shop-owner, Serafina didn’t feel any more confident than she had before.
“He will never back down from a challenge, a wager.”
Something she already knew.
“His magic is incredibly powerful.”
Something (again) she already knew.
“He’s more recently been linked with kidnapping children, especially babies. The reason is unknown.”
Something she didn’t need to be reminded of.
As Bailey and her headed out from the subway station, she follower her friend. Lost in both the thoughts of the day and Ixion’s rejection.
The chaos in her mind was swirling into something that she already knew was toxic, but she couldn’t begin to steer herself away from any of it.
“What’s up, Sera?” Bailey turned to her.
Serafina frowned, stopping where she was, “What do you mean?”
“Something is distracting you today,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “You don’t seem to be the type to forget a location, especially as you mentioned that the shop had intrigued you earlier.”
“I… ” Serafina frowned.
She what? She was distracted, but was it really because of Ixion’s rejection? She paused, realizing that prior to him leaving, he had seemed tense from her confession. She froze mid-step, Ixion hadn’t rejected her because he didn’t want to be with her. He’d rejected her because she’d touched down on another of his sore spots! He had a connection to Rumpelstiltskin! Serafina hadn’t been able to see it at the time but now she recognized the look he had given her when she had told him who she was after. His eyes had shown the same fear she had been feeling for so long.
He’d left her out of fear.
“Sera?” Bailey pressed. “You okay? You just went pale.”
“I am…” she nodded slowly. “It’s just been a bad day. I think I’m going to call it early.”
Bailey nodded, “Same time tomorrow?”
“Same time,” Serafina smiled.
Turning down the road, she began to head towards the motel. Making her way past her room, she headed to Ixion’s. She was already holding her breath by the time she started banging on the door, and she didn’t stop or take a breath until it swung open and his dark blue eyes narrowed at her.
“What do you want, Serafina?” he snarled.
“You’ve got ties to him, don’t you?” she glared, not letting his anger hold her back.
“What of it?” he ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “Look, go back to your room, Sera. Leave me alone.”
“No,” she glared, stepping through the door, inviting herself in the same as he had the first night. “Not until I get an explanation.”
He pointed in her face and glared, “Get. The fuck. Out.”
“Make me,” she snarled back, showing him the same bitterness that he was showing her.
It felt good, she realized.
“Fine,” he sucked in an angry breath through clenched teeth, “but don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
He barreled towards her, moving to lift her to throw her out of the room. Side-stepping his advance, she watched with only a little amusement as he toppled forward, landing face first against the door. Readjusting, he turned and narrowed his gaze on her.
“You’re going to pay for that,” he seethed.
“Oh? Really?” she grinned. “Why don’t you try that one again?”
As he once again charged towards her, she reeled back and slammed her fist into the side of his face. Letting loose a howl, he fell back, landing square on his ass. Moving his hand to his face, he stared at her, amazement filling his expression.
“You… you punched me?” he blinked.
“You asked for it,” she rolled her eyes.
“THAT’S IT!” he growled, reaching out and latching his arms around her legs.
Crying out, she fell back on the floor. Before getting a chance to right herself, Ixion rolled over her and glared down at her, pinning both her arms over her head.
“Now get out of my room!” he panted.
“Like I said before,” she worked to catch her own breath. “You’ll… have to… make…me…”
He paused for a moment, staring down at her. She could see the confliction in his gaze, recognized it as the same feeling she had felt yesterday. She realized she didn’t want to end this; didn’t want to just leave what she was feeling with him behind. She could have both, right?
She deserved this.
After everything she lost, she deserved a second chance.
Deciding she was done waiting on Ixion, she leaned up and slammed her lips against his. He froze under her kiss and she only kissed harder, needing this more than anything at that moment. He finally succumbed and soon he was kissing her with just the same fervency.
“Fuck me,” she panted against his lips.
“You really don’t know when to stop, do you?” he growled against her lips.
“Never been one of my strong suits, honestly,” she smirked.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he nipped at her lower lip.
“I could say the same to you,” she chuckled, realizing just how husky her voice had become.
She leaned up, ripping the tank top off his chest, running her nails down his torso, purring at the sights of his muscles flexing against her touch. As she continued lower, he reached out, capturing her wrist in his hand and moving it above her head, smirking down at her. He moved like a tiger, slow and precise, filled with an intensity that she hadn’t expected.
“My turn,” he murmured.
She gasped as he reached up, ripping the flimsy blouse she had worn that day, a moment later, her bra was being tossed in the same pile their ripped tops had made. Leaning down, he captured her nipple in his mouth, gently tugging and running his tongue over the sensitive bud.
Gods his touch was incredible!
She whimpered, arching further up, needing more yet not wanting him to move his mouth from her breasts. Seeming to understand, his hand began to move down her stomach, unbuttoning her jeans as he began to slide them just below her thighs. With enough room to reach into her panties, he instantly found her other sensitive nub. She cried out as he expertly began to rub at her clit as he continued to suck her nipple.
“Oh! Ixion!” she panted.
She no longer wanted him to have control. Grabbing his head, she pulled him away, a wet popping sound made as she pulled him off her nipple. Pulling from his grasp, she smirked and slammed him on the ground, straddling him.
“W-whoa,” he blinked.
Grinning down at him, she leaned down and began to kiss down his neck, stopping to brush her tongue over his nipples as well. Continuing further, she pulled off his boxers. Her prize sprung out and she reached down, beginning to stroke his length as she continued to kiss down his stomach.
“Oh! Fuck!” he growled. “Fuck me, Sera! Now!”
“Oh! So demanding!” she smirked.
Another few strokes and she realized she needed it just as badly. Once again straddling him, she cried out as his cock entered her. Shivering at the sensation, she began to ride him, panting at the feel of once again being filled.
“That’s it! Ride me, Sera!” he growled, reaching for her hips and slamming her down.
“This is so intense!” she panted, continuing to ride him.
Serafina cried out as Ixion began to stand, holding her by her thighs to stay inside her as he did. Once they were standing, she wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands circling around his neck. He slammed her against the wall and began to pound
even harder inside her. He leaned down, his lips crashing against hers, matching the pace of his thrusts inside her with his tongue.
He was so powerful.
But she was too!
She moved her arms up, pressing them against the wall behind her and pushed out towards the bed that was behind them. He cried out, falling back against the bed as she held herself against him. Once he was back against the bed, she began to ride him once more.
“Fuck! You little witch,” he grinned.
“Not a witch,” she smirked back. “But I do know magic.”
He smirked at that, bucking up once more before holding her hips still. She let out a soft whimper at being stopped before he pulled her up and slammed her down onto her stomach. As she moved to try and get up, he moved behind her, lifting her hips and entered her once more. She cried out at the new position, Damon having never been aggressive enough to take her in this position before. The new sensations that she felt were intense and she arched out, feeling her climax nearing.
“Oh! I’m going to come,” she cried out.
“Do it! Come for me,” he ground out.
She cried out, her body tensing before fully relaxing at her orgasm. She whimpered as she continued to orgasm. Ixion let out a howl at his own release as she felt him pull out, jets of his release pouring on her backside.
“Oh! So hot!” he murmured.
Once he was finished, she looked back to see him retreating to the bathroom to get her a towel. As he worked to clean her up, she shivered, her body sensitive from its release. As he finished, he tossed the towel away and fell back on the bed. She followed, lying her head against his chest, listening to his pounding heart.
Magic After Dark: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels Page 94
