by Nora Ash
“I can promise you that I will do anything and everything in my power to remain with you for the rest of eternity. But we still have dangerous times ahead, little one. This business with Naharan ….”
“You will have to kill him.”
The way she said it, so completely calm, made pride swell in his chest. She was tougher than he had ever thought a Breeder could be.
“Yes.”
“I killed Marathín.”
His lip pulled up in a snarl at the mention of the scum who had laid a hand on his mate. “My father told me as much. I hope it was slow and painful.”
A smile ghosted across her lips. “You’re very demon-y when you say stuff like that—while looking like this.” She made a vague gesture toward his horns.
Kain snorted and eased himself down on the bed next to her. She didn’t flinch away at his proximity, but he noticed that she kept a hesitant eye on him.
“I know this is hard for you. It would have been easier if we’d been together longer and you had known me better, before you saw my true form.”
She rubbed a hand over her belly and sighed. “Apparently the auctioneer wasn’t kidding when he said I’m extremely fertile. What happens now, Kain? With Naharan and … and my powers? I’m not an idiot—I understand we’re in pretty deep shit.”
We. Even when he was in his demon form did she accept that they were a unit, with a shared future. It occurred to him that, while neither of them had wanted a mate, they were both remarkably quick to accept their new bond. Surely, it couldn’t all be hormones? It didn’t feel like hormones.
“We go to war,” he said softly. “There is no other way.”
His mate nodded, her lips narrowed in determination. Yes, she had grown infinitely tougher since he'd found her alone and scared in that warehouse.
“If you are Queen, no one will question your powers—even if you are a Breeder.”
She looked at him then, something he couldn’t quite determine shifting in her eyes. “And you? Will you question them?”
“There is nothing to question,” he said. There was much to question, but he didn’t want to rattle her any further. As brave a front as she was putting up, it likely wouldn’t take much more before she’d break. And he still needed to mate her. Whatever that powerful light within her was, they would have to talk about it later.
She looked like she wanted to interject, but when he paused to let her speak she didn’t, her shoulders slumping and the dark circles underneath her eyes seeming clearer than ever. She needed him.
“Selma … we need to make you better, little one.”
She shrugged her shoulders and attempted to straighten up, but he could still see the strain plainly painted on her face. The one seeding had not been nearly enough to make up for her complete depletion of energy, and he had an idea that her usage of the powerful light hadn’t helped things.
“I’m okay,” she said, though her gaze slipped from his to her hands in her lap.
“You’re not okay. I need to take you again. And I will need to do that every day, until he is born.”
She paled noticeably, and he felt his heart sink into his stomach. If he had to force her, he would never be able to look himself in the mirror again, but he would do anything to save her life. Even this.
* * *
She knew he was right. No matter how much she tried to ignore it, the bone deep exhaustion was lurking right underneath the surface, threatening to break through and render her helpless. She hadn’t thought much about it when they were preparing to rescue Kain—had written it off as a natural reaction to the stress and trauma she had endured since the attack in Colorado.
After she collapsed at the Queen’s residence, she had come to realize that it was so much more than that. In her bones, she knew that if Kain hadn’t done what he did—as mortifying as it was to be fucked on the side of the road with his father and brother watching—she would have died. Along with the life she was carrying.
Selma glanced at the large demon perched on the bed next to her. He was, frankly, terrifying, there was just no way around that. Though she had been able to accept that he was her mate, underneath the demonic appearance, the thought of willingly submitting to his monstrous cock while he looked like this made her heart pound uneasily in her chest.
The grim determination displayed by the set of his mouth made her remember what he’d said in the car, after she told him she was pregnant. That he would take her, regardless of her protests, as long as she was pregnant. She knew it was to ensure both she and his son survived, but it had been a lot easier to accept when he still looked like the incredibly handsome and somewhat human man who’d saved her time and time again.
This …. She shuddered as memories of being chased and tormented flooded in. The attack she had endured before coming to Ravenswood House was all too vivid in her mind. Big, scaly monsters with horns and fire in their eyes pushing her to the ground to force their way into her body.
A tremor traveled up her spine, and she shivered. This time, there would be no escape.
“Please don’t fear me.”
It was a hoarse plea, so completely contradictory to his brutal appearance, and for the briefest moment her heart ached for him.
He was still Kain.
Determined, she closed her eyes and bit her trembling lip hard enough to taste blood. She had to submit without a fight. She owed him that much.
“Just do it.” It wasn’t the most heated of permissions, but it was all she could manage right now, with her heart pounding painfully behind her ribs and all her instincts screaming at her to flee.
Judging by his relieved exhale, it was enough.
The bed dipped underneath his heavy mass as he moved closer, and she felt a waft of his heat brush against her skin before his large hand came up to cup her cheek.
“I will never hurt you,” he murmured, and then that soothing hum that resonated within the very core of her being vibrated from his wide chest.
What was it with that sound? Selma breathed deeply as every tensed muscle in her body slowly relaxed, inadvertently filling her lungs with his heady scent. Though she was still very much aware of the hulking demon whose touch heated her skin, it was as if his hum numbed her anxiety. It was still there, her fear, but as long as he made that sound deep in his chest she could deal with it.
Scorching lips pressed gently against hers.
He tasted like heat and man and something wild she couldn’t name as anything but Kain. The soft press of his lips teased her mouth open with its gentle insistence.
Selma sat frozen in place as he slowly devoured her mouth, her eyes firmly clenched shut. Her body recognized the taste and feel of the demon’s kiss, and a thread of desire wound its way through her apprehension. It wasn’t enough to alleviate her tension, but it was something.
Kain’s low growl against her lips told her that he’d sensed her wakening response to his ministrations. The sound sent another shiver down her spine—this time not purely from fear. While the animalistic growl was a disturbing reminder of what sort of creature currently had her trapped on the bed, it also spoke to something warm and needy deep in her core.
She had more or less expected him to simply touch her mark and take her immediately to get it over with as quickly as possible, but as she felt the demon move in closer, his strong arms wrapping possessively around her midriff, she knew that had been a foolish expectation. Even when in the throes of the mating thrall after the auction, he had taken the time to explore her body and set her skin afire with more than just the forced lust from the brand. This time, she knew he would be trying to awaken her body to pleasure, to ease the guilt of forcing the coupling.
Guilt. His terrifying appearance aside, he was capable of feeling guilt. Of feeling love ….
Drive, my love. His desperate plea when he sacrificed himself to the Prince rang in her mind as she was eased down onto her back and large hands skillfully rid her of one of the silken dresses his brother
had supplied for her upon her arrival.
This creature— this man—loved her, even as his form filled her with horror.
“Oh.” Her lips parted in a soft moan when his decadent lips closed around her nipple in an unexpected caress. Gentle pulls that went straight to her unprepared clit followed, and she grasped at the sheets underneath them to keep from clinging to him.
This was what she needed—to forget that the beast on top of her was more than just her lover and mate. She needed his gentle seduction, but if she let herself get too lost in the sensation and allowed herself to touch him, the spell he was slowly weaving around her mind would shatter. So Selma clung to the bedding as Kain’s hot mouth suckled first one and then the other little bud, followed by his tongue and teeth gently nibbling and flicking at them until she was writhing underneath him and a warm ache settled between her legs. Unwittingly she spread her thighs for him, inviting his touch where she needed it the most.
Kain growled again, the beast in him voicing its appreciation of her surrender, but before she could clasp her legs tight at the unpleasant reminder of exactly what sort of creature she was begging to claim her unprotected core, his hand snaked down to cover her panty-clad mound. He didn’t hesitate, possibly sensing her returning unease, and instead pushed two nimble fingers in behind the flimsy fabric to press firmly against her clit.
Selma couldn’t hold back the involuntary gasp, nor keep her hips from bucking upwards at the heated touch to her most sensitive spot. The demon didn’t give her time to rein in her body, instead deciding to push his advantage. Without lifting his mouth from her breasts he let his finger rub circles over her bundle of nerves, not stopping even when she began to moan softly and spread her legs wider.
Despite her mind’s weak attempt to resist, his touch blazed through her hesitation as it coaxed her body into submission. His hum was unwavering, never allowing her a moment to panic, and as her pleasure built between her thighs she felt herself give in.
“Yes!”
Just a little more … She arched up against the pressure as her arousal mounted into a tight knot, desperately close to finding her release. So close, so close!
“Kain …!”
At the sound of his name the demon withdrew his fingers and mouth, but before she could make any sound of protest, his hot lips crashed against her forehead, activating the brand.
White-hot fire shot through her mind and down into her body, setting every cell aflame.
“Kain!” Unthinkingly, she grasped at his shoulders to press herself closer to the source of the need crashing through her. Her eyes popped open wide as she gasped for air in the heat of her desperation.
The horrifying features of his demonic form met her wild stare. Even through the call of the brand forcing her to arch up in a silent plea for his monstrous cock, fear shocked through her at the sight of him poised over her naked body.
Oh god ….
Kain’s face contorted around a snarl above her, making her pussy clench and weep with the primal sound, even as her fear made her stomach tense up.
“No,” he growled, and then he lifted up off her, leaving her burning body to writhe on the bed.
“Please,” she gasped. He couldn’t leave her, not now. As much as he frightened her, she needed his wide girth to soothe the burn wracking her body and making her spread her thighs wide for the monster. “Please, I need …!”
Large hands grabbed her hips, and her body instantly paused its writhing, instincts forcing her to submit to the dominant male. When he flipped her onto her stomach she groaned with need, even as her mind reeled behind the lustful haze caused by the brand. She wanted this—needed this with every ounce of her being, despite her terror of his demonic form. She would have to endure being mounted from behind by the beast, needed to let go of the final shred of her will desperately fighting against the torrent of lust pulsing through her from that needy place between her legs so she could submit willingly. If she didn’t, they would never be able to get past this, and—
Selma’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt when the demon’s hands on her hips pulled her into position, but instead of the expected pressure from his massive girth pressing at her dripping opening, he lifted her up so he could twist his head and shoulders in underneath her. Before she managed more than a gasp of surprise, he had her knees spread wide on each side of his thick neck and his hands were securely around her ass, pressing her down towards his face. His intentions became obvious shortly after, when the tip of his scorching tongue flicked out and teased over her wet slit.
The white spike of fiery pleasure as his devious mouth found her clit had her eyes rolling back in her head and a long, drawn-out groan escape her lips.
“Your pleasure tastes like life.” His hoarse whisper vibrated through her slick folds and up through her spine.
Her pleasure. Selma arched into his mouth, pressing her aching nub closer to the promising heat of his skilled tongue and lips. She knew, from the burn in her own body, that he was fighting tooth and nail against the instincts roaring to mount her rough and deep, yet the sight of her fear when she saw him hovering over her, more than ready to penetrate her defenseless pussy, had stopped him. Again. Once again he was going against everything he was so that she would not suffer in any way.
Beneath her, Kain pulled his hot mouth back from her dripping flesh, only to let his tongue lash at her throbbing clit until she writhed on the edge of orgasm. Two of his thick digits pushed into her rhythmically clenching channel, and she moaned loudly at the sudden pressure.
“Yes, like that,” she gasped into the sheets she’d buried her head and fists in. “Please, yes, don’t—oh—don’t stop!”
As if on cue, his fingers hooked behind her pelvic bone, pressing firmly into the spongy area there. Sharp, uncontrollable pleasure so intense it passed the border to pain rocked through her, driven forth by his tongue and that unrelenting pressure against her g-spot. Her vision sharpened to pinpoints before everything turned white with the hurricane of sensations roaring through her blood and the flood of her climax peaked.
“Ah! Fuck! Kain, yes!” Her scream echoed through the room as her pussy convulsed around his invading digits and she ground her clit against his mouth, too far gone to care if he could breathe. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to care either, his tongue moving rapidly over her pulsing clit again and again until she collapsed on top of his face with a whine, pleasantly spent.
Endorphins clouded her mind, momentarily quelling the still-burning need deep in her pussy. The brand had yet to be satisfied, but the orgasm her lover had provided allowed for a short reprieve. Along with the endorphins came an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards him—the man who had brought her nothing but protection and pleasure since the day she met him.
And through the hormonal rush came something else—the clear and unwavering knowledge and courage to finally put into words exactly what he meant to her.
“I love you.”
Kain stilled completely underneath her. Only the waft of air over her nether lips as his breath left his lungs in a surprised huff let her know that he’d heard her.
“What?” he croaked, sending more pleasurable tingles through her spent flesh. “What did you say?”
The tone more than suggested his refusal to believe what he’d heard.
Where such a statement should have had nervous energy make her stomach contract, all she felt was peace brought by the wake of the orgasm, and the stirring of the brand’s magic breaking through her moment of calm. Selma rocked her hips uneasily, trying to stave off the onslaught so she could rest in that perfect cocoon of contentedness for a little while longer.
“I said, ‘I love you’.” She sighed with frustration as she fidgeted above him. The need for sex was increasingly difficult to ignore, every second bringing the insane urge to mate back to progressively insistent levels. As always, the brand craved his ruthless penetration to be sated.
Her pussy was starting to throb again,
and the teasing brush of his hot breath over her softened cleft didn’t help matters. With a small whine she arched her back and pressed down a little, searching for the stimulation she knew would appease her needy body for another moment. “Kain, more! I need more.”
He growled underneath her again, a sound caught somewhere between frustration and desire. His fingers bit into her hips, making her mewl from the roughness. Before she realized he had moved she was balancing on her hands and knees on the soft bed, and the demon was now behind her, snarling.
“More,” he spat, spreading her dripping pussy wide with his fingers to prepare the way for his assault. “Do you truly forget what I am the second you can no longer see my true face? I can taste your fear on my tongue every time you lay eyes on me, yet a little pleasure with your back turned and you declare your love as if it is something to give away for a fuck.”
The thick crown of his pulsing cock pushed against her opening, making her breath hitch in her throat and her fingers automatically clench in the already crumpled sheets. He was so impossibly big, and this time she was awake to feel the full force of him.
“How could you ever love someone like me?” Kain’s voice was still a dangerous snarl, but behind the fury there was unmistakable despair. It resonated deep in her core, despite her current focus on the pressure slowly increasing between her legs.
“Or is this really all it takes to break you, my love? The promise of a climax on my cock and you’re ready to give me everything?” The rasp of his question was punctuated by her loud wail as he shoved in, burying his head and the brutal ridges inside her soft channel. “I’ll give you what you need, Breeder—and when I am done you can tell me if you still have the capability to feel anything but fear for me.”
Every thought in her whirling mind snapped to a halt, her consciousness turning solely to the impossible invasion of her most sacred place. Kain’s wide girth filled her spasming channel, and though her body was more prepared to take him on this time than when he’d rutted her at the auction, it still took all she had to remain on her hands and knees as he slowly pressed himself all the way in. The ridges ground mercilessly against every hyper aware nerve ending inside of her, and when he finally bottomed out she felt the beat of his pulse as if it were her own, so completely did he possess her.
