Kill him. Kill him, he deserves your punishment!
The clamor in his mind to decimate, to annihilate the bastard grew.
“Let him go. Please, Riley.”
From a distance, through the roar in his head, he heard Saia’s soft voice. Calm, cool. His safe haven.
Inhaling harshly, he struggled to reel in his fury and dropped Piers. He landed with a thud on the floor. Coughing and rubbing his reddened throat, Piers glared at him. Snarled. “You’ll pay for that, you sonofabitch!”
“Shut up, Piers,” Saia snapped.
“Saia? What’s wrong?” Rohan sprinted into the foyer, followed by Zayn. “Mary called, she sounded hysterical, said you were being attacked?”
“Where the hell were you two?” Riley barked, his anger finding new targets. “You left her unprotected with that junkie?”
The twins’ expression flinted as Piers pushed to his feet, swiping at his bloody nose. All sorts of accusations flew out of him about Riley being a demon’s spawn. “He’s fucking evil! Look at his eyes.”
Riley could give a shit right then if the entire world saw what he was.
The twins’ gaze narrowed and zeroed in on the reddened handprint on Saia’s pale cheek and her bruised lips. All hell broke loose.
Zayn slammed his fist into Piers’s belly, sent him reeling back. “We thought you a friend!” he spat. “You fuckin’ hurt my sister?”
“I didn’t mean to,” Piers blustered, red in the face. He held up his hands in surrender. “An accident.”
“Hitting my sister was an accident?” Rohan strolled closer, let loose an uppercut to his jaw. Piers’s head snapped backward. “Damn, my fist slipped. Yeah, an accident.”
Riley glanced at Saia. His lips tightened at the raised swelling on her cheek. He reached out and drew her into his arms, held her and tried to get the dangerous rage prowling through him to quiet down. He would make the bastard pay.
Oh, yeah, he would. Twenty-nine had already signed his one-way ticket. One day soon, he’d pass through the Nine Circles of Hell. And Riley would be waiting.
Zayn pulled out his cell just as the front door opened and their parents entered, bringing in the crisp, fresh scent of winter.
Smiling at something his wife had said, Edward glanced at them and stopped. He waved off the maid hurrying forward to take their coats. Both of their attentions zipped straight to Saia in Riley’s arms, then to the twins, finally settling on a bleeding Piers.
Edward’s blue eyes cooled. “What’s going on?”
“He hurt Saia,” Zayn snapped, glaring at Piers again. “You come anywhere near my sister—my family again, and you’re dead.”
Lips thinning, Edward walked over and touched his son’s arm. “I’ll deal with this.”
“Daddy, please,” Saia pleaded, pushing away from Riley. “Let it go. Zayn, don’t call the police. I just want to forget this happened.”
What the hell? She would protect this junkie who’d hurt her?
Before Riley could open his mouth, Jemima, still in her outdoor coat, brushed past them, a perilous squall, one a sane person would do well to keep out of the way of. An odd chill emitted from her, making him frown. She wasn’t psychic, unlike Edward or her sons, so what the hell was it that got all his psychic senses rising?
“A minute, Edward.”
He stepped back. At her nod, the twins released the struggling male and joined their father.
“It was an accident.” Piers stumbled back, wariness riding his expression. “I didn’t mean to hit her. She wouldn’t listen to reason. You liked us together,” he pleaded with Jemima. “It’s what I was trying to do.”
“Yes, beat on my daughter.” At the sliver of power in her words, Riley pushed harder, tried to see through her unbreakable shields. And still he couldn’t. “My mistake. I thought you had a little more decency than most men.”
Saia stiffened. She appeared shocked at her mother’s defense. Then Jemima lowered her voice. Whatever she said, Riley couldn’t decipher a thing, even with his heightened hearing.
Piers stiffened. A stricken expression paled his features.
Coolly, Jemima turned on her heel, her gaze resting on Saia again. Her mouth tightened a fraction. “Put some ice on your face.” She headed for the stairs. “And you can have your garden wedding.”
Despite the steamy bath, shock still held Saia in its grip. It was easy to wash off the sweat from her training, but not the awful incident. She’d left her family to deal with Piers, desperately needing to wash away the horror that had occurred.
More, she still couldn’t get over the fact that her mother had relented. Heck, she was just glad to not get into any more fights about the wedding.
Inhaling a shaky breath, she pulled on her thick, blue, terry bathrobe and wrapped her hair in a towel then crossed to the misty vanity mirror. She swiped it clear with her hand.
Oh, Christ. She stared in horror at her reflection. Piers’s handprint on her cheek appeared like it’d been etched into her skin. Her lips hadn’t fared too well either. They were swollen, felt raw from being ground against her teeth and his.
Carefully, she rotated her jaw—
Aww, crappin’ hell! Her pain receptors were unfortunately in perfect working condition. Gingerly, she rubbed her aching jaw, and as she entered her bedroom, tying the belt on her robe, the door opened.
Riley walked inside. He shut the door and leaned against it, expression flat. Equally flat eyes skimmed over her. Gut deep, she realized he was reining in a seething mass of anger, one not only aimed at Piers.
Tell him you weren’t protecting Piers. Do it quick.
“Aren’t you going to find out if everything is settled?” he asked before she could speak. “Don’t you want to know what happened to twenty-nine?”
“No—” She winced at the pain flaring from her jaw.
He stalked closer, a keg of unadulterated power with a buzzing detonator. “That’s not the impression I got. You wanted to let him go despite the fact that he hurt you. Mauled you. You can barely speak.”
“Because I was afraid for you, not him,” she protested and tried not to flinch at the ache in her cheek.
His expression tight, he clasped one big hand around her nape, the other gently touched her lips. Warmth coursed through her face. The pain in her cheek and mouth faded. “I was at Satire when I felt your pain…like a vise in my chest. I flashed here to find that two-bit bastard on you. I wanted to annihilate him, shred him to pieces for hurting you, for putting his fucking mouth on you.”
At his low, furious tone, her fear rose again. She tugged his hands from her face. “No-no, you cannot—”
“Do not tell me how to exact my retribution, Saia.” He wrenched away from her, prowled around her room, a dangerous predator held by a thin leash.
Uneasy, Saia searched his taut features. Something was off, the knowledge settled within her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Sharp. Terse.
“Don’t lie. I feel it.”
He cut her a dark look. And then she saw it. His eyes glowed. Searing desire meshed with anger. Raw. Primal. “I need you so damn bad.” His tone dipped lower. “But I’m too fucking scared to touch you. Scared of what I’ll do—” He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped his head as if in pain.
“Riley?”
His hands dropped, his eyelids snapped open. “I have to get outta here.” He pivoted for the door. She darted after him and blocked his way. “No. I can’t let you leave, not like this—”
His chest heaved. “Saia, get out of my way.”
“No.” The air around him shimmered. Before he flashed out, she grabbed his arm. “It’s okay. You can have me…any way you want.”
Green eyes scorched hers. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.”
A primitive streak of possession seeped into his expression. “I will fuck you hard…in ways you won’t like.”
Her heart crashed against her ribs. If
that was a threat, hell, it was working, but she refused to show him her wariness. She remembered what he’d said in Stygia about demons thriving on fear. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“Aren’t you now?” Rough laughter. Dark. Dangerous.
His brilliant gaze on hers, he prowled closer. She inched backward as he corralled her with his big, sexy body until her knees hit the bed. She stumbled and he took her down, landing with her on the mattress. The air gushed out of her lungs. Braced on his elbows, he trapped her with his lower body. Grasped both her wrists and yanked them above her head.
Her heart fluttered like the wings of a bird. “What are you doing?”
“Still not afraid of me, mate?”
She sucked in a sharp breath at his sly tone and challenged, “Is that what you want, my fear?”
He didn’t answer but impatiently cast his attention around before looking down at her. A devilish smile rode his mouth as he freed the belt from her bathrobe. Pushing to his knees, he sandwiched her body between his spread thighs and dangled the belt in front of her. “Go on, stop me.”
Stop him? How could she, when the very thought of him taking her restrained had her growing damper. She wasn’t one for the hardcore stuff, but with him she wanted anything and everything.
“I’m going to tie you up, exactly the way I’ve wanted, then I’m going to fuck you.”
She swallowed hard at his promise, grew wetter at his threat. And finally, admitted the truth to herself. Part of what turned her on, made her violent with need, was just how dangerous he was. Even now, everything in her warned her to tread carefully…but she never did listen to sound advice.
He worked fast, efficiently, like he’d done this many times before as he bound her wrists together. Her belly dropped at the thought of him with other women, then she shoved it away. He’d chosen her, mated her.
He leaned over her and secured the tie to the white lattice bar of the wrought-iron frame. Satisfied, he settled back on his heels. She tugged at the binding, it wasn’t tight, had some give, but there was no way she could free herself.
Slowly, he parted her robe like he was unwrapping a gift. Her heart galloped to her throat. His eyes became liquid green heat as they roamed over her naked body to stop at the juncture of her thighs.
“You’re perfect.” Reverent words. “And sexy as hell, lying there for me.” He eased back a little, spread her legs apart, and settled between them. Torturously slow, he skimmed a finger up one side of her cleft, down the other to dip into her wetness.
Blood heated and pounded in her head. Those tormenting fingers wandered up her belly, circled her navel, and roamed her torso to the curve of her breast. He flicked her stiff nipple, and she shuddered. Arousal flared higher. With just a touch, he was going to kill her.
He traced her parted lips with his moist fingertip, sharing the taste of her arousal. Hunger darkened his eyes when her tongue touched his finger. He lowered his head and licked the dampness off her mouth. Moaning, she leaned in to kiss him, but he lifted his head, a knowing smile riding his face. “Like that, huh, mate?”
She panted like a runner in dire need of oxygen. He shifted and his warm mouth closed on her achy nipple and he sucked on the taut nub.
Oh, dear God. Desire tore through her body, every inch of her skin on sensory overload. She arched her chest for more. He ignored her offering and slid lower down her body, his jeans a rough friction against her sensitive skin. His mouth inches from her burning center, he looked up. His gaze trapping hers, he licked down her cleft.
She stopped breathing.
“You taste so damn good. Lilies, musk, all female…mine.” He stroked her clit with another languid lap of his tongue. Lazily, he laced his fingers through her wet curls. “Shall I tell you what you look like from down here, hmm?”
Lightly, he traced the shape of her femininity and dipped into her. Her heart drummed against her ribs. “A siren. You tempt me like no other—you know that, my little tormentor? One I can’t get enough of.”
Her core throbbed, ached for his touch. She squirmed under his intense regard. Wanted his mouth on her to ease this burning need that made her want to climb out of her skin. She yanked at the annoying ties, looked up and tried to free herself so she could haul him close.
He tugged her curls. “Eyes on me, mate.”
Her gaze flew back to him.
“Do you want me sucking this?” He flicked her clit. She shuddered and bit her lip to keep from crying out. “Or perhaps you want my tongue doing this?” That devilish smile again, he ran his finger around her nub and dipped his finger into her and stroked her.
“Oh, God!” she cried out. Her body strung taut as he kept her on the edge with his little games.
“No, no, Saia. My name—just mine.”
“Riley, please!”
“Shh,” he murmured, his thumb lightly stroking the top of her sensitive clit, rousing the fire higher. She whined, yanked at the belt again as he played with her without giving her the release she craved.
“Tell me what you want?”
Is this what he meant that he’d do things to her she wouldn’t like? Because she sure hated it! Her mind trapped in a sexual haze, her body a mass of quivering sensation, she glared at him. “Everything you said. I want it all—every goddamn thing!”
“Say it, Saia.”
She glowered. “Damn you—fuck me. Now!”
He laughed, pushed her legs over his shoulder. He worked his finger into her, added another, stroking her inner walls, finding the spot that drove her out of mind. In and out, he worked his fingers. Harder, faster. Relentlessly, he drove her to the edge. The pressure unbearable. A thin cry broke out as she teetered on the edge. Her mind scattered, no longer aware of anything but what he was doing to her. He grasped her swollen clit with his lips, with teeth and tongue he sucked her…then bit down, hard.
Her mind splintered. Choking back her cry, she came apart in his mouth, indescribable pleasure swamping her body.
He licked her for a few seconds more before shifting to his knees.
Shuddering from her powerful release, she watched him free the button on his jeans and unzip his fly. His rigid sex sprang free. He crawled over her restrained body and thrust his tongue into her mouth. She tasted herself, wanted him with desperation that bordered on madness. Shivers cascaded over her skin, desire pierced her body with a sharper edge.
Panting, she freed her mouth. “In me, now.”
The tormenting man from earlier vanished. He shifted to his knees, his skin appeared stretched over his bones, his eyes gone a burning green. He lifted her bottom and set her over his thighs, spread her open.
Her gaze lowered. He gripped his erect sex in his fist and ran the head down her cleft to her opening, and with one hard thrust, he slid deeply into her. She moaned, at the incredible sensation streaming through her at the tight fit.
A deep, sexy as hell groan escaped him, and like a man driven to possess, he took her, harder, faster. Her body arched, wanting more of him. She looked up. Lime-green eyes watched her closely as he angled his hips, the added friction of his cock rubbing against her clit, the pleasure so intense, she shut her eyes.
Lime-green?
Her lids snapped open. A crimson stain spread into his eerie irises.
“Riley, your eyes—” She gasped.
Something dark moved in those glowing depths. It stared at her. His demonic nature was at the forefront, his eyes completely red.
“He’s gone,” it said in a guttural tone. “It’s just you and me. My need to reclaim you…mate.”
Desire flatlined and morphed to panic. “Riley—” she cried out, yanking at her hands. “Riley, answer me!”
His pounding hips stilled. Chest heaving, he blinked, staring at her with unfocused eyes.
The next instant, he reeled back with preternatural speed to crouch in the corner, absolute horror reflected in his crimson gaze.
“No-no!” He grabbed his head.
Her h
eart thudded violently. “Riley?”
His expression wild, he shook his head and jerked to his feet, his rigid sex gleaming from her wetness. He stumbled around in the dimly lit room, his movements uncoordinated. His chest expanded, his breathing harsh, as if struggling to free himself from an internal war.
Fear turned to worry. Something was terribly wrong. She jerked at her hands. “Untie me.”
He glanced blankly at the restraints. A shaky wave of his hand and the belt fell from her wrists. She pushed off the bed, yanked the belt free and tied it around her robe again. It registered then that he hadn’t even taken his clothes off.
With slow, controlled movements, she approached, didn’t want to startle him. “I know you’re upset. But I’m okay. This—” She waved to the bed. “It’s okay, too.”
“Don’t.” His harsh tone stopped her dead in her tracks. “I don’t want you near me.” He zipped his pants. Ran agitated, trembling hands over his clipped hair. “This…you, a mistake. I have to go.”
“A-a mistake?” Her heart tripped. “What do you mean ‘a mistake?’”
He just shook his head and flashed from the room.
Chapter Twenty-Five
His vision hazy, Riley took form in some piss-reeking alley in The Quarter. Rats scuttled along the walls, eyeing him with accusatory, beady black stares.
He braced a hand on the worn, graffiti-covered building and doubled over.
What the hell was he thinking, taking his mate in such a ruthless, depraved way?
She liked it. Liked us. The words ricocheted around in his skull.
“Fuck off. She is mine, not yours!” Anger flared. A shaft of power burst from him. The boarded windows of a nearby building exploded, showering him with shrapnel. Rats squeaked and scurried away.
The voice inside his head laughed. I must claim her, too.
Never! Struggling to tighten his psychic shields, Riley squeezed his eyes closed and cursed the wretched affliction coursing through his blood, his very being. He stumbled, landed against a grimy wall and grabbed his head. The damn thing seemed to be splintering along with him. He should have known—gods, he should have known last night that this shit had started.
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