“I feel more wild than usual, thanks to you,” he told me as he set me on the bed.
When I tried to sit and reach out to touch his wings, he caught my hands and pinned them above my head before straddling my waist. “You remember our deal, right?”
I licked my lips and nodded.
“Don’t move from this spot.” His dark command turned me on so much that all I could do was whimper in response.
He released my wrists and climbed off the bed. I watched as he moved across the room to grab something from his bag. When he returned, he was holding a glowing, green ball. It looked like a readymade spell of some sort.
“What is that?” I asked.
He grinned. “It’s a detention kit. I always carry a couple with me in case the need arises.”
My eyes moved to the glowing ball again, and I watched as Hades tapped it twice. The contents of the spell spread out in front of him on a glowing green cloth. There was a rope, cuffs, a gag, and leg shackles.
I began to sit up and ask him what he planned to do. Before I could speak, he grabbed the cuffs and tossed them at me as he gave a command in a language I didn’t understand. I fell back onto the bed and felt my hands being pulled above my head as the cuffs wrapped around my wrists. My eyes widened.
“Don’t be afraid,” he crooned. “I’d never hurt you.”
“I’m not afraid,” I assured him.
He reached behind him to pull a feather from his wing. A slight twinge was the only indication he gave that it hurt. Settling onto his side close to me, he trailed the feather from my lips all the way down to my belly.
I moaned and arched off the bed as the feather moved along my skin. Leaning in, his lips brushed against mine before he asked, “Do you like how that feels?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “It’s like your magic is caressing me. This feels incredible.”
The feather dipped between my legs, and we both moaned. “You feel it, too?” I barely got the words past my lips.
He nodded, his eyes clouded with lust. “When you touch my feathers, even when they aren’t attached to me, it turns me on. Having your hot pussy on my feather feels incredible.”
Setting the feather to the side so it barely touched my arm, he grabbed the rope. He worked it between his hands until it looked like two threads. As I watched, he took my nipple into his mouth and sucked until it was hard. He then took one of the strings and tied it around my nipple before repeating the process with the other nipple.
Pulling back, Hades smiled at his handiwork. The thread kept my nipples hard. This time, when the feather moved along my nipples, the sensation was even more intense.
“Hades!” With my hands bound above my head, I was completely at his mercy and loving every minute of it.
After what seemed like endless minutes of focusing on my breasts, Hades settled between my legs and lifted them over his shoulders. His tongue skimmed along my clit in a light touch that had me squirming to get closer to his mouth.
“Tell me what you want,” he coaxed.
“I want more,” I begged.
“More what?” he demanded.
“More of your touch,” I replied.
“Tell me exactly what you want,” he commanded. “Don’t hold back. Talk dirty to me.”
“I want your mouth on my pussy!” I nearly screamed in frustration. How could he be asking so many questions when I was dying for his touch?
My answer was obviously exactly what Hades wanted because he growled low in his throat before his tongue stroked my clit. He suckled, licked, and nipped until I was just about to orgasm. That’s when he stopped.
“No!” My protest turned into a whimper of need when his tongue slipped into my pussy as he brought the feather up to my clit. The magic in his feather caused vibrations to move along my clit as his tongue thrust in and out of me.
“Oh, Hades!” I screamed and bucked against his face as my release hit so hard, I saw black spots dancing in front of my eyes. It wasn’t until my breathing became less labored and the spasms subsided that I realized the black spots were actually bits of the feather Hades had been holding.
“Did your feather explode?”
Hades chuckled and replied, “Yes, I didn’t know it was possible for our magic to do that. Then again, I’ve never had one of my feathers vibrate like that before you.” He reached up and touched the cuffs before doing the same to the threads on my nipples. Both items returned to their original forms.
“That was fun,” I said with a sigh. “Why do you suppose your feather did that with me?”
He shrugged before lying beside me and gathering me close. “It has something to do with how our power interacts.”
“It’s incredible,” I said around a yawn. “Sorry. You wore me out.”
He smiled and kissed my forehead. “You’re incredible. Take a nap and then we can go over the details of what you need to do to get moved into my place. I’m sure you have a list of things I’d never even consider.”
I smiled because he was right, and I loved that he already understood me so well.
Chapter 74
Hades
Traveling with Persephone to see her parents was more nerve-wracking than I’d have expected. I’d considered going to one of my friends for advice, but they were assholes. There was a good chance they’d intentionally give me bad advice to fuck with me. That would bother me more if I wouldn’t do the same in their position.
I’d already met Demira, and while she wasn’t my biggest fan, she’d definitely warmed up to me. That wasn’t exactly saying much, since she’d likely wanted to slice my heart out and feed it to Cerberus when we first met. Persephone claimed her father was the more mild-tempered of her parents. She described him as the scholarly type.
“Tell me more about your father,” I prompted as we stepped out of the elevator and into the parking garage in Central California. This was as close as we could get using Lucifer’s elevator, but we’d be able to take one of his SUVs the rest of the way.
“He’s an archaeologist who specializes in angelic artifacts,” she replied absently as she looked around the parking garage until her eyes landed on the SUV.
“How many of these does Lucifer have?” she asked.
“Only three,” I replied. “He keeps a vehicle at each of the garages the elevator opens into, but he has a variety of cars. Your father’s career choice seems strange, considering your mom’s aversion to all things angelic.”
“He hasn’t worked much in that area since my parents left the witch community to live with humans,” she explained. “He still has a paper published now and then, but mostly, he helps my mom. My dad is much younger than my mom. She went to school with one of my dad’s cousins. That’s who introduced them. I guess my dad’s cousin had heard about my mom’s aversion to angels and thought it would be funny to see my mom’s reaction to my dad’s obsession with angels. According to my dad, they realized they were a match almost immediately. My mom says she wanted to smack him for his fascination with angels. My mom has this database with every angel and fallen angel. It’s helped out over the years. It’s got more information than most witches have on the subject. My dad is the one who put the whole thing together. They love each other very much.”
“I hope they’re the romantic type,” I muttered as I slid into the passenger’s seat.
“Why is that?” she asked.
“Then they might find our relationship romantic,” I replied.
“Why are you so worried about what my parents think?” she asked as she adjusted the seat so she could reach the pedals. Lucifer had likely been the last one to drive the SUV. I needed to learn to drive if I was going to continue spending time in the human realm.
“I was actually worrying about what you think,” I replied. “You obviously have a very close relationship with your parents, and I don’t want you to think being with me will strain that relationship.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said with a laugh.
“Silly?” I asked incredulously. “I’m never silly.”
“You are in this case. I do love my parents, but this is my decision. My mom already accepts that. I can assure you my dad will accept you.” She hesitated before adding, “Try to be patient with my dad.” She started up the SUV and said, “Now, let’s see if my map spell works. I’ve never driven from here to my parents’ home. I’d hate to get lost and have my mom think you’ve kidnapped me.” When I frowned, she laughed. “I’m kidding. My mom has moved past her fear—for the most part.”
Chapter 75
Persephone
Map spells weren’t my strong area, a fact I should have mentioned to Hades before we left to see my parents.
“We made it!” I announced when we finally pulled up to my parents’ small home.
Hades deserved credit for his self-control. He had yet to remark on how long it had taken me to make what should have been a thirty-minute drive from the parking garage to my parents’ home. He’d even pretended my excuse about the traffic being bad was a good one.
“You grew up here?” he asked, sounding surprised.
“I did,” I replied. “Why is that so surprising?”
“It’s not what I expected,” he replied as his eyes moved along the street lined with quaint two-story homes. I’d always thought the homes resembled cute dollhouses.
“What did you expect?” I asked.
He hesitated before finally shrugging. “I pictured you living on a farm, far from town to give your family distance from humans.”
I opened the SUV door and stepped out as I replied. “Try to blend in and act human while we’re here.”
He laughed at my suggestion, and I could see how he’d find it amusing. Hades looked human, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Still, no matter how human he acted, he’d definitely stand out in a crowd.
“Blend in as much as you can,” I amended.
When we reached the front porch, I rang the bell, even though I suspected my mom was right on the other side, waiting to open it.
Sure enough, the door flew open. “You’re here!” My mom threw her arms around me.
My dad worked his way around us to stand in front of Hades. He looked Hades up and down like he was a fascinating specimen. To my dad, he was a fascinating specimen.
“Hades,” my dad said with a nod. “I’m Leland Mortem, Persephone’s father. Why don’t we head inside where we can talk?”
“Dad,” I warned as I pulled away from my mom. “Don’t interrogate Hades.”
“I’m not interrogating him,” my dad argued. “I want to get to know him better. We should have a word alone, Hades.”
“It’s okay if your father talks to me alone,” Hades told me. When I opened my mouth to argue, he continued. “He has the right to demand answers on how I’m going to treat you.”
“Persephone can take care of herself,” my dad told him. “Her mom worries much more about that than I do. I have faith in my daughter. She also doesn’t look like a woman who’s been abducted.”
“She’s not,” Hades assured him. “Considering my past, it is a valid concern. What do you want to talk to me about?”
I decided that if Hades wanted to ask my dad what he wanted to talk about, then he could listen to the questions.
“I need more of that birth control spell you made for me,” I told my mom.
“I didn’t need to know that,” my dad said.
My mother ignored him and said, “Let’s head over to the shop while your dad treats Hades like a fascinating angelic artifact.”
Chapter 76
Persephone
“Why did you come out to visit us?” my mom asked when we got into Lucifer’s SUV. She had her own car, but she’d seemed unable to resist the temptation to ride in the devil’s SUV.
“What makes you think I have some ulterior motive?” I asked.
She said nothing, simply waited for me to continue, like she knew I would.
“Fine,” I relented. “Hades wants your blessing.”
“Our blessing?” my mom asked, sounding thoroughly confused. “For what?”
“Just about everything,” I replied as I drove the short distance to my mom’s shop. In truth, she could have prepared the spell at home, but a trip to the store would give my dad more time to study Hades. “He wants me to live with him and do a fallen angel bonding ceremony.”
“What about a witch ceremony?” my mom asked.
“How long has it been since you’ve been to a council meeting?” I asked.
“Not long enough,” my mom replied. “I take it there’s less bureaucracy involved with a fallen angel bonding.”
“No bureaucracy at all,” I told her. “After the meeting I recently attended, I have no intention of willingly going to another.”
“They are very boring,” my mom agreed. “That’s one thing I definitely haven’t missed. It’s funny because while I was active in witch politics, I found the bureaucracy comforting. The world changes fast, but not much changes in the witch community. The biggest change in my lifetime was when male witches suddenly decided they should be called warlocks.”
“No other species in the preternatural community does that,” I replied thoughtfully. “I suppose the fallen angels from the old pantheons used the god and goddess distinction.”
“I wonder if they still do that,” my mom pondered.
“We should ask Hades,” I suggested.
“So, what did you say to Hades about the fallen angel bonding?”
“I told him yes,” I replied. “We’re also getting married so you and Dad can be there for the ceremony.”
“Thank you,” my mom said, flashing me a brief smile. “Adjusting to life in the demon realm won’t be easy.”
“It’s not that bad,” I assured her. “If I end up not liking his home, he offered to move elsewhere in the demon realm.”
“You’ve been staying there for weeks,” my mom pointed out. “How do you feel about the location? Don’t just give me another vague answer.”
I hesitated because my answer wasn’t simple. While I liked Hades’s home, it also held a lot of bad memories for him. Redecorating the rooms he’d avoided didn’t necessarily mean he’d be more inclined to spend time in them. I also wasn’t sure about the area surrounding his home. “I think I could be happy living in his home, and there are areas in the demon realm I like, but his neighborhood isn’t very nice. It’s close to the prisons, and it’s very depressing. He has a view of the River Styx from his porch. That’s really cool.”
“That sounds both depressing and fascinating,” my mom admitted.
“It is,” I agreed. “At first, I was excited to see everything around his home, with the exception of the prisons. Now, I’m beginning to long for a pretty place to go out for a walk.”
“You’re not trapped there,” my mom reminded me. “There must be demon portals near his home you could use to go somewhere nice.”
“You’re right,” I agreed.
I parked in front of my mom’s store and looked over at her when she let out a sad sigh. “This isn’t what I wanted for you, yet part of me is happy for you.”
“You never expected me to love him,” I reminded her.
“I never expected to move past the desire to cut his heart out and shove it down his throat,” she muttered. “To be honest, I didn’t know him when I first started hating him.”
“You had good reason to hate him,” I told her. “If I’d known about your sister, I’m not sure I could have given him a chance.”
Once she unlocked the door to the shop, my mom turned to me with an affectionate smile. “You don’t have it in you to hold a grudge. You still would have seen more in Hades.”
“Maybe,” I agreed. We headed back to my mom’s lab where she made an assortment of healing teas and some readymade spells. The spells weren’t sold to humans, but she’d used some on humans. Many of her spells had to do with reproduction. My mom’s power involved life. In many cases
, she could help a couple who was infertile conceive. She’d helped women get their breech baby to turn, eased labor pains, relieved colic in babies, and a multitude of other things. My mom also had an array of teas for relaxation and headaches. Her shop would be missed when my parents moved away. That day was coming soon.
I giggled as a thought occurred to me.
“What’s so funny?” my mom asked.
“I was thinking that your magic mostly has to do with life,” I explained. “It’s funny because you’re the granddaughter of the angel of death.”
My mom laughed. “That is funny. I’d never even thought about that. Azrael came by the store.”
“He did?” I couldn’t hide my surprise.
She nodded. “He looked really out of place here, and I think he made everyone nervous,” she replied as she began working on my birth control spell.
“I’ve had lunch with him twice,” I told her. After my first lunch date with Azrael, I’d called my mom to tell her about it.
She nodded. “He told me. He also says you gave him your number.”
“I didn’t exactly give him my number,” I replied. “Actually, I guess I did since I made no effort to block it when I called him. Why didn’t you tell me you were talking to Azrael?” I’d ask Azrael the same question if I didn’t know he wasn’t the best conversationalist. He was getting better, but he rarely shared any information I didn’t ask for.
“It never came up,” was the lie she went with.
“You’re a much better liar than I am,” I accused.
She flashed me a grin. “I know.” Her focus returned to her work as she continued. “When you’ve called recently, you’ve had a lot to talk about. I didn’t want to bring up Azrael and have you worrying about how it was affecting me.”
“How is it affecting you?” I asked.
“It’s getting easier,” she replied. “Angels still make me uneasy, and Azrael is one of the scarier angels.”
“Not really,” I argued. “He’s brooding and socially awkward, but I wouldn’t call him scary.”
“Aren’t the killers in those books and movies you love so much always brooding and socially awkward?” she asked.
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