Mystic Realms: A Limited Edition Collection

by Nicole Morgan

  Heat scorching her face, Saia grasped Ikaria’s hand and backed away. “Let’s get out of here.”

  She spun around and almost slammed into a bare-chested demon, who effectively blocked their escape.

  “Well, now, what do we have here?” he asked in a low, sensual drawl. His features were lean, attractive. Shorn-off horns peeked out through the strands just above the front of his hairline. And skin-tight black pants were molded to his heavy thighs. “Two deliciously pretty females…” His eyelids fluttered close, he sniffed. “Hmm, and one a mouthwatering human.”

  Warily, Saia stepped back. He closed the distance and lightly stroked her cheek. A buzz of salacious heat sparked her blood.

  What the hell?

  Ikaria grabbed her arm and pulled her away, somehow breaking the hypnotic spell he seemed to have woven around her.

  “She is Lord Réomer’s chosen mate,” Ikaria snapped.

  The demon smirked. His black eyes flared with a streak of red. “She is not yet claimed, no? All is fair in this lust war.” He grasped Saia’s wrist. “Come.”

  “Let me go…” She tugged at her hand. Christ, all she wanted was to find a way back, not be trapped in this porn palace.

  “Too late.” He smiled. “Look at me, my pretty…”

  At the crooning tone, her body relaxed, her defenses giving way. No-no, she struggled to put up her mental shields. Whipping up whatever strength she had, Saia lashed out. But her fist just swiped through air, her target no longer within reach. Then, callused hands yanked her free from the demon and set her aside. A brutal punch flew, and her rescuer sent the demon staggering backward. Blood dripped down his split lip.

  Inhaling harshly, Saia blinked at the naked, powerfully built back of the stranger who’d rescued her. That wasn’t her guard. Who—? The familiar smell of lemongrass and woodsmoke teased her nose. Her heart clipped hard as she stared in confusion.

  “You dare touch her, knowing who she is?” Riley’s voice slashed with a blade’s precision.

  “It’s in my nature to try.” The demon sighed. “I wanted a little taste before you got wind of her whereabouts.”

  “For that alone, I should kill you.” His low tone filled with deadly intent.

  The demon dipped his head in acknowledgement. Cautiously, he stepped back and walked off.

  Her jaw dropped. Riley?

  It appeared as if he’d been gone weeks instead of days. He looked bigger, tougher. A light stubble dusted his cheeks and jaw. His tan had deepened. His body bore ugly bruises and slashes and was caked with dust, grime, and dry blood. The tattoo on his biceps had darkened, too. And he no longer wore his earrings.

  But his beautiful hair, which had always reminded her of minted pennies, had been cut brutally short. She could almost see his skull.

  He looked…fearsome.

  And dangerously handsome.

  Riley spun around, his green eyes blazing. “I leave you safe in my chambers, and you go get yourself in trouble! You’re not on bloody Earth where others follow the rules. Had your guard not summoned me, you’d have been taken in every way possible by every fucking demon here—”

  “Stop yelling at me. It was an accident.” A moan drifted to her, Saia glanced past Riley. A naked demoness was on her knees, her hands gripping a demon’s thighs as she—oh, crap! Saia quickly looked away, grateful Riley hadn’t looked back to see what had held her attention.

  “What is this place?”

  “The Pleasure Den. Pleasure demons come here to service the soldiers—” He broke off with a low snarl. “Who hurt you?” With gentle fingers, he traced the graze on her shoulder. At his touch, desire hummed through her veins to settle low in her belly.

  “I bumped into a wall. What do you mean pleasure demons?”

  “Cubus demons—incubus, succubus. They need sex to keep their psychic energies strong.”

  “Like you?” She threw the bitter words back at him. “It’s why you have all those women, right? Those ones you prefer to satisfy your needs?”

  His gaze flicked to hers, the lines of his jaw hardened. “I’m not an incubus. You recognize them by their horns. But if this is what you want, we can fuck right here so all will know to whom you belong.”

  At his crudeness, and that he hadn’t denied her accusation, she snapped, “You can fuck me ten ways to Sunday, I will never belong to you!” She shoved off his hold and stomped away from the Pleasure Den. She was such an idiot for wanting the arrogant jerk—

  His body slammed into hers, knocking the breath from her lungs. He spun her around and trapped her against the wall, not caring that Ikaria and the guard were present, or that the demons exiting the sex den had stopped to watch them.

  “Ten ways to Sunday?” he said in a low, seductive taunt, his breath caressing her face. “Is that a dare, sweet Saia?”

  Christ, even sweaty he smelled good. All male. She watched him with bated breath and became aware of the even rhythm of his heart beating beneath her palms while hers was moments from exploding out of her chest.

  A devilish smile played on his lips. Hands braced on the wall, he lowered his head, his lips cruising along her jaw to her ear. He tugged her earlobe with his teeth. She bit her lip and struggled to remain detached, not to surrender to her traitorous body’s demands.

  “Here’s the thing, my sweet Saia,” he whispered, the ridge of his erection pressing into the V of her thighs. “You will fuck me, and of your own free will, too. Because the scent of your arousal whenever I’m near tells me so”—he inhaled deeply, a slow, satisfied smile curling his lips—“like right now.”

  Then he sucked her lower lip, and heat spiraled in her belly.

  Just as fast the hated words echoed in her head, haunting her. I don’t do relationships. I prefer casual arrangements—one-night stands.

  She pushed at his chest and tore her mouth free. “Get off me.”

  He stepped back, his gaze feral. “Soon, I’ll be so deep inside you, you won’t want me to leave. Ever… Mate.”

  At his arrogant statement, she ignored the wanton need invading her limbs and scowled. “The man I marry will want me. Just me. He won’t be some man-hoe skirt-chaser!”

  The heat in his eyes faded, became green stones. He turned to her guard. “See my mate back to my chambers. I’ll be there shortly.”

  Saia stormed into the bedroom, trying to leash her unruly desire. She rubbed her arms, but nothing would ease her. Her body was too hot, too needy.

  Dammit. She required every bit of her willpower not to be drawn into his sensual web. But the moment he touched her, all rational thoughts turned to dust.

  The door opened. She wheeled around and breathed a sigh of relief when Ikaria entered. She shut the door quietly behind her, her aqua eyes dark with worry. “Are you all right? Lord Réomer was furious.”

  Like she didn’t know that. “I’m fine,” she reassured Ikaria. God, all she’d wanted was to walk so she wouldn’t feel helpless. Trapped. “I’m going to have a bath.”

  Maybe it would give her better clarity and keep her mind focused.

  Saia headed for the ebony door on the far end of the room. If there was one thing she liked in this place, it was his bathroom.

  In the middle of the airy room, an enormous, black, sunken bathing pool took up space. Above the bath, the lowered ceiling followed the same rectangular shape of the pool.

  Several stumpy, gnarled, bleached trees grew from pewter containers, edging the short side of the bath. Ikaria pressed a flat knob near their base and water flowed into the tub from slits in the walls.

  “I’ll be right back.” Ikaria left.

  Saia stripped off her pants and sleeveless tee and stepped into the warm, waist-deep water. A sigh escaped her as she sat on a ledge at the bottom and the stickiness rinsed off her. She reached for the small pot of gel on the side and soaped herself, wishing she could just stay here. But at the thought of Riley on his way up, her heart tripped.

  She hurried through her bath the
n climbed out of the pool. Taking a towel from a stack of folded bath sheets piled on a shelf, she wrapped it around herself. A light tap on the door, and Ikaria entered again, carrying something silky and white over her arm.

  “Are women always fought for down here?” Saia asked, trying to understand this way of life as she dried her hair with another towel.

  “Sometimes. But for a mortal, always.” Ikaria draped the dress over a stool. “What Lord Réomer did to Móric for daring to stake his claim on you would be a child’s game should another come after you. The demon in the Pleasure Den understood this, and it’s why he backed off. This is the citadel of the deadliest Sin. Not many would dare take on the heir of Wrath. But there are fools who will try.”

  “Sin?” The air squished out from Saia’s lungs. “As in th-the seven deadly sins?”

  “Aye.” A reverent smile. “Réomer’s sire is the Sin of Wrath.”

  Breathe. Breathe, Saia. How much worse could it get?

  Dammit! How could she forget? Wrath had told her his name, but she’d been too traumatized by the violence that had just occurred, hadn’t paid it much mind. And to think, all her life she’d relegated that to myth. Despite what Sunday School lessons forced down her throat, she hadn’t really believed that the embodiment of the sins existed.

  A humorless laugh escaped her. A Sin?

  “Why not? I never thought I’d see Hell either.” She dropped the terry cloth on the stool.

  “By the dark gods, no!” Shock colored Ikaria’s voice. “Hell is where the damned souls are sent. That’s The Nine Circles. It is like another world there. This echelon of Stygia belongs to the Seven Sins. No damned one would dare venture here or want to cross a Sin’s path. They are the ones who mete out their eternal punishment.”

  Saia’s head spun, unable to process what she’d just heard.

  Don’t think about it…don’t!

  She inhaled a shaky breath and rubbed her temple. At least, she’d be safe here. As long as she didn’t wander into dark corridors, sex dens, or cross Wrath’s path ever again. Then she remembered, she’d yelled at a Sin, too.

  Wonderful! Apparently, she wasn’t only horny, but suicidal, as well.

  Trying to get her mind back on track, she picked up the dress, pulled it on, and dropped the towel wrapped around her. The tunic-styled garment with narrow straps flowed down her body like a soft caress and flared out at the ankles. She pushed back her damp hair and tried to comb through the tangles with her fingers when boot steps sounded in the other room.

  Her gaze darted to the entrance.

  With a quick smile, Ikaria hurried off, abandoning her. Of course, she’d see this as exciting.

  A tall, dark figure filled the doorway. Then he stepped into the light.

  Christ, she still had to get used to Riley looking this way.

  Too big, too handsome. Too…dangerous.

  He didn’t say a word. Or look at her.

  So he was still mad? That made two of them.

  Scowling, Saia watched as he undressed. He yanked off his boots, and they dropped with a dull thud on the floor, followed by his socks. His hands lowered to his waist. He unzipped and stripped off his pants, tossing them aside.

  Saia stared, unable to tear her gaze away. Naked, he looked incredible. No longer lean. But more muscular. Bigger. Tougher. Hard ropes of corded muscle delineated his abs and flowed to lean hips…and his semi-erect sex.

  She swallowed hard. Her gaze rushed to his face, but he didn’t look her way. He stepped into the enormous pool of water she’d just bathed in, sat down, and soaped himself. Hypnotized, she watched his hand slide over his battered skin, across his wide shoulders, thick biceps, down his pecs and below the waterline to his…groin.

  She dragged in a raspy breath.

  Hair lathered, he disappeared beneath the undulating surface, reappeared, water sluicing over him. He pressed a black stone near his arm. The low ceiling above the bath opened up, and through the millions of holes, the rustling shower fell over him like rain, while the pool drained.

  Finally, his gaze shifted to her. The edge of danger she’d always sensed in him was now out in spades. It honed and redefined the angles of his face, his entire bearing.

  He leaned back in the bath, his arms braced on the ledge as he studied her with an assessing and very, very sensual stare.

  If he thought she was just going to walk over and let him have his way…

  His gaze slid from her face to linger on her breasts then moved slowly down her body. She lost her train of thought. How did he do that? With just a look, he left a trail of fire in his perusal.

  “Come here, Saia.” The quiet demand had her pulse quickening.

  Her fingers bunched the fabric of her dress, her feet trying to find purchase on the marble floor.

  When she didn’t move, he rose from the bath, a tower of bronze skin and rippling muscles, water flowing down his mouth-watering body past his erect sex.

  She stopped breathing.

  He strode over and swept her into his arms. Her breath escaped in a harsh rush, she clutched him around his neck. He walked down the black steps again and stepped into the inch of water remaining at the bottom of the marble bath. From the massive ceiling, the shower splattered down, drenching her within seconds. She blinked the drops from her eyes and scowled. “I’m wet.”

  “And I plan to make you even wetter, before I lick every inch off you.” He regarded her with such primal hunger, heat spread through her veins like a runaway fire. He let her slide down his naked body, every hard ridge of him making her senses spin.

  He ran his knuckles along her jaw. His gaze softened. “I can fuck you ten ways, Saia. But I far prefer to make love to you.”

  His words made her melt. Hope grew. “And after?”

  “After what?” He freed a wet strand of hair stuck to her face.

  “When we go back home, what happens then? Those other women?”

  “They don’t matter.” He leaned in and licked a drop of water at the tip of her nose. “You want me. I’ve always wanted you; from the moment you jumped out of that red menace you drive.” He dipped his head. His tongue, warm and seductive, trailed a line down her jaw to her chin. “Fight me later, Saia. Right now, I need the words.”

  His husky tone sent a wave of desire through her limbs. But that he still wouldn’t give her an answer about his one-night stands, her hurt hiked again. With no way out of this, she glared. “I don’t want this, but I have little choice trapped in this place. Go ahead, do it. Get this damn mating over with. I hope you have a condom.”

  At her angry words, he grasped her by the waist and dropped her on the edge of the bathing pool. Her breath caught in her throat at the sudden savage fire in his eyes. “That’s not how this is done.”

  He shoved her skirt over hips, the ends draping over her thighs. She swallowed hard, ignoring the brush of his fingertips along her skin or the million nerves it lit up.

  “With all the women you’ve been with, I refuse to end up with any diseases.”

  He didn’t say anything. With a hand on her chest, he pushed her down. She broke her fall, bracing her arms on the floor. Widening her thighs, he lowered his head lowered and trailed his mouth up her inner thigh. His tongue flicked the droplets of water on her skin, as if he wanted to claim every fragment of her. Desire unfurled as he sucked the tender skin near her groin, the stubble on his jaw a tantalizing caress. Her blood heated.

  He murmured, “I can’t get human disease or illness. You’ll be safe. And Saia—” he lifted his head, his burning gaze trapped hers, “—before I’m done, you will say it.

  No. She would never admit just how much she wanted him. She still had some pride left, even though the damn thing took a dive whenever he was around. “Never.”

  “Yeah?” He stroked a calloused finger down one side of her cleft then up the other. Languorously, he circled her clit then flicked the tip of her swollen bundle of nerves. At the erotic sting, she bit down on her l
ip, trying desperately not to cave into this treacherous need invading her equally traitorous body.

  “Maybe this is what you want?” He pushed a tormenting finger into her, stroking her, keeping her on the edge. Goose bumps skittered over her skin. She squirmed, unable to clench down on her inner muscles with him planted between her thighs like a bloody tree. Then he eased another finger into her, and brushed the top of her swollen clit with his thumb.

  Need jackhammered straight to her core. A moan tore out of her. “Ohhhh!”

  “You feel so damn good around my fingers. I want this—” he teased and stroked her insides “—clenching my cock the same way. Wouldn’t that be so much better?”

  Yes, yes, yes!

  His gaze trapped hers. “Then say the words, Saia.”

  She panted, release hovering. So close.

  He drew his fingers away.

  Noooo!

  “I’ll just finish this myself.” She slid her fingers between her legs, desperate to give herself the release she craved. He grabbed both of her wrists and pinned them on her stomach, forcing her to her back. Green eyes blazed in warning. “Do that again, and I will tie you up.”

  Tears of frustration not far off, she cried, “Why are you doing this? If this is just some game, then let me up.” She pushed at him with her hips. But all that did was press her harder into his rigid sex. He shifted and deliberately let his cock slide along her cleft. Another tremor shot through her.

  “Oh no, Saia. This is no game,” he murmured with that cool control she hated. “Say it. Say you want me.”

  She glowered, her body trembling, held on the verge. He flicked her impossibly sensitive clit again, and she cried out—the words bursting free. “All right, damn you. I want you!”

  His big body went motionless. His eyes flared like neon green flames. Releasing her hands, he moved lower and pushed her legs over his shoulders, then his mouth was on her.

  Oh, God! She came off the floor, impossible desire surging through her. A hand on her stomach, he held her down, working her with long, languorous licks and little nips. Arousal burned higher. His fingers thrust in and out. Lost in a whirlpool of sensation—soft licks and hard sucks—pressure built in her core…then a sharp nip with teeth. She cried out, grabbing his head as she broke apart, unbelievable pleasure scoring her body, her mind.