by Aubrey Ross
He looked back at her and smiled, a rare and precious smile. “I need to wash my hands. I’ll be right back. Take off your dress and pull down the covers.”
She tugged the dress off over her head then folded the covers across the foot of the bed, thankful for something to do. There was no turning back now. She would soon belong to the most powerful male in the Realm of Darkness.
Positioning herself much as he’d left her, she lay sideways across the bed, legs hanging over the side. He returned and knelt on the floor, easing her legs apart.
“Have you cooled down already? Do I need to start over?” Rather than wait for her answer, he bent her knees and spread her thighs. His eyes closed as he inhaled. “Your scent is amazing. It makes me wild and ravenous.” He lowered his head and pressed his lips against her slit. “So soft.” His lips moved against her as he whispered the words and she shivered.
He was so different now, more like— No! She would not allow anyone to intrude on this moment.
His tongue gently circled her clit and his fingers rubbed against her shield. Would he burst it with his cock or use his fingers to… She felt a brief sting and then his fingers surged into her core. He was inside her, part of her, as no male had ever been before.
“Is that it?” she whispered.
He chuckled and looked into her eyes. “Your shield is gone, but you’ll still feel the difference once I enter you with more than my fingers.”
She’d seen his cock, touched and tasted it. There was no doubt his words were true. “And when will that be?”
He laughed and approval gleamed in his dark eyes. “Soon, my sweet. Very soon.”
He lowered his head and returned his mouth to her clit, licking and sucking until her sensitive nub throbbed. She tried to relax and allow her body to respond to his skill. This was her mate, the male who would be at her side for the rest of her life. The thought was thrilling and yet intimidating. Did she really want to be the Queen of Hell?
His fingers slid in and out, spreading and curving, preparing her passage for a much larger invasion. His lips pulled on her clit as his fingers moved with strong, steady strokes. Her mind surrendered to her rising emotions and she concentrated on the swirling sensations.
With a careful twist of his wrist, he inserted a third finger. The additional pressure amplified the tension already pulsing through her. She felt restless and achy, ready for something she didn’t yet understand. His tongue flicked over her clit and an orgasm burst within her. She cried out, her core rippling with tingling pleasure.
While she floated in hazy lassitude, he surged up along her body and thrust his cock into her wet pussy. Verrine cried out at the sting, then moaned as he pushed deeper and deeper. It didn’t really hurt now, but she felt so impossibly full.
“Arch your back. Take all of me.”
Already stretched to the point of pain, she whimpered. She glanced down to where their bodies joined and saw how much more of him there was to take. “I can’t.”
He grinned, his dark eyes flashing. “Yes, you can.” Leaning down without pushing farther into her, he caught her nipple between his lips and sucked forcefully.
Her inner muscles fluttered and hot cream flowed, easing his way. She tilted her hips and his shaft sank deeper. He moved to the other breast and slipped his hand between their bodies, massaging her clit with his middle finger.
She relaxed, accepting the inevitable, embracing her true life path. Her body understood, responding effortlessly when she surrendered to their mutual need. She opened to him, accepting him, wanting all of him.
Hooking her knees over his elbows, he dragged her hips up off the bed, impaling her completely. Only her shoulders remained on the mattress. He held her high, accentuating the pressure of his full length within her body.
“Mine!” He growled the word with obvious warning and pulled nearly out. “You are mine.” He slammed back in.
Verrine clutched the bedcovering as he pounded into her, overwhelmed by the fullness of his penetration. The stinging pain had receded. Her body was lubricated enough to accommodate even his aggressive thrusting, but his savage expression and fierce possessiveness doused her passion. She submitted to the joining, while her heart ached for so much more. Passively she waited for him to find release, just wanting it to be over.
He threw his head back and roared, his body shaking as he pumped his seed deep into her body. Panting harshly, his gaze muddled, he stared down at her. Her legs still draped over his arms, her body arching from the bed to his groin.
“Why did you find no pleasure in this joining?”
He sounded confused, not angry, so she answered honestly. “I don’t want to be your possession. I want to be your partner, your equal, your mate.”
With a snarl, he separated their bodies and turned away. “Now you sound like your mother.”
“I’m very much like my mother. Isn’t that why you wanted me so badly?” Crawling off the bed, she snatched her dress off the floor and put it on with trembling hands. Her legs wobbled and her body ached in places she refused to think about. It was over and she was physically unharmed. Her heart, however, was battered and bruised.
He said nothing and she was too upset to look into his eyes.
Tension escalated, swelling from awkward to intolerable as the silence lengthened.
“May I go now?” she asked, desperately needing to cry yet refusing to reveal any weakness.
He nodded toward the door.
Chapter Thirteen
Shaken and depressed after her encounter with Balam, Verrine wandered through the stone corridors deep in the Realm of Darkness. She couldn’t face her parents. They would know Balam had claimed her and demand an explanation.
She had none to give.
Raking her fingers through her hair, she walked through a wall before she realized she’d Shadow shifted. Damn. She’d never been this disconcerted before.
Okay, calm down and think.
She walked on as she sorted through her cluttered thoughts. Balam had surprised her with his patience. He’d skillfully roused her passion and given her pleasure. Only his brutish possessiveness had left her cold. If he’d kept his jealousy suppressed, she’d have continued to be responsive. Their mating would have been wonderful.
Like it had been with Arioch. The thought filled her with shame. She belonged to Balam now. The sticky proof of his claim was drying on her inner thighs. It was not seemly for her to harbor desires for any other male, much less his brother.
Would this end their courtship? Would Balam declare her unfit and… She didn’t even know how it was accomplished when a male ended the courtship.
Mine! His domineering tone echoed through her mind. She was being ridiculous. He wouldn’t set her aside. She’d been marked from conception as his. She had no idea what he would do next, but Balam had no intention of letting her go.
Rounding a corner, Verrine collided with something warm and solid. She cried out, stumbling back a step.
“Look what we have here, boys. If it isn’t the precious Princess of Pussy Clan. What are you doing this far from home?”
She didn’t know the male’s name but his pronounced muzzle and fur-covered face identified him as Canine Clan. Where in hell was she? Canine Clan had taken over one of the deepest levels when their leader refused to join the alliance. They were outcasts, vicious misfits who preyed not only on the human race, but the other demonic clans.
Whirling on the ball of her foot she ran in the opposite direction. Had she Shadow shifted again without realizing it? How had she come to be this deep—
A fist tangled in her streaming hair, ending her escape and her panicked speculation. “Not so fast, Princess. I’m sure my father would love to see you before you run back to Mommy and Daddy.”
Shifting into her animal form, Verrine swiped at the male with her razor-sharp claws. He howled and launched himself at her, transforming from demon to monstrous wolf in midair. His powerful jaws closed around her th
roat, pinning her to the floor.
“Marut! Bind her. Do not harm her!”
Verrine felt the pressure against her throat increase, compressing her airway threateningly before the wolf-creature released her. Her Cat Clan strengths were stealth and speed, but Marut had easily caught her. Fear expanded within her, sweeping her back into demon form.
A tall, muscular male stood a few paces away, his fists planted on his lean hips. He swept Verrine with his yellow gaze, assessing her. Authority emanated from his bearing. This must be Moloch, leader of the outcast clan.
Marut shifted back into his demonic form and conjured Shadow cords, commanding them around her torso, securing her arms to her sides. He was a hybrid, half Canine and half Shadow Clan. No wonder he’d caught her. No Canine demon should have been able to match her speed.
“Will that keep her from Shadow shifting?” Moloch asked his son.
“It should. She’s very young.”
Moloch approached. His appearance was less animalistic than his son’s. Only his bright yellow eyes and elongated incisors revealed which curse ruled him. Crouching before her, he sniffed the air.
“You reek of sex and your dress is not appropriate for an untouched female. I’d heard your awakening was scheduled for next year.”
“My awakening has nothing to do with Canine Clan. You rejected the alliance. You are all forbidden as mates.”
He laughed. “Which is why we are forced to take captives. Your mother didn’t think about that complication when she declared our entire clan cast out.”
“The Council made that decree, not my mother. What do you want with me?”
He leaned closer, inhaling deeply. “That scent. I know that scent. Who just fucked you, Princess?”
Hiding her fear behind defiance, she turned her face away. If he knew the Prime Leader had claimed her, it would make her even more valuable as a hostage.
“I’ll figure it out. I have a great memory for scents.”
Marut stood beside his father, leering at her. “What should we do with her? We can’t keep her here while we go pillage.”
“Bring her along. We’ll play with her after the hunt.”
* * *
Lilith unsealed her doorway and quickly dropped into a deep bow. “Sire. What brings you here?” If Balam wished to speak with someone, he had them summoned. This was highly irregular.
“Tell Verrine I’m here.”
She couldn’t begin to interpret the myriad emotions reflected in his expression and tone, but his distress frightened her. “I don’t understand. I thought she was with you.”
“She is not here?”
“No, Sire. I have not seen her since I escorted her to your chambers.”
His face twisted with fury, his lips pulling back from his teeth. “If she is with Arioch…”
Without finishing the threat, he spun and headed down the corridor. Lilith ran to keep up with him, her pulse pounding in her ears. “What happened, Sire? How long ago did she leave you? Was she upset?”
He said nothing. His purposeful strides carried him quickly toward Shadow Clan corridors.
Jetrel, where are you? Lilith reached out frantically with her mind.
In the council chambers. What’s wrong?
Is Arioch with you?
Of course. She heard his mental chuckle. He presides over Shadow Council meetings. What is amiss?
“Sire. Arioch is with Jetrel. They are in a council meeting. Verrine did not go to your brother.”
His long strides halted but he didn’t turn around. “Then where would she have gone?”
“That depends how upset she was. Did…did the wooing go badly?”
Jetrel came rushing down the corridor, Arioch a step behind.
“What’s going on?” Jetrel demanded as he reached Lilith. “You sounded terrified.”
“Verrine is missing.”
“Don’t be melodramatic,” Balam muttered. “We’re simply not sure where she went after she left my chambers.”
Arioch stormed past Jetrel and slammed Balam against the corridor wall. “What the fuck did you do to her? If you hurt her, I’ll—”
“My mate is not your concern!” He shoved Arioch back.
Arioch cast a net of Shadow cords around Balam’s torso and bound him tightly. “Your mate? Your claim is not valid until the elders witness—”
“Did you fuck her?” Lilith snapped. “Is that why she fled?” She and Jetrel flanked Arioch, forming a solid wall of demonic indignation.
“It wasn’t like that. I didn’t hurt her. I would never harm Verrine. Now release these cords before I lose my temper.”
Ignoring Balam’s command. Arioch stepped back and spread his arms. Lilith wasn’t sure what he was doing, but Jetrel seemed to understand.
“Well?” Jetrel asked once Arioch released the trance.
“Canine Clan has her. They’ve taken her into the Light.”
* * *
Verrine struggled against the Shadow cords until she exhausted herself. She tried to disperse her form, but true to Marut’s boast, her abilities were no match for his. Stumbling along behind him, she was tethered to his waist by the Shadow cord binding her throat.
She reached out with her mind, broadcasting her location. Sending the signal to her father first and gradually broadening the scope until Marut turned to face her.
“No one is going to hear you, Princess. Your control isn’t strong enough.”
Ignoring the provocation, she tried to distract him as she found a new strategy. “Why do you come into the Light to hunt? There is plenty of food in the Realm of Darkness.”
“Not for Canine Clan demons.” He tugged on the cord around her throat, dragging her slowly toward him. “We are left to scavenge like rats thanks to your mother.”
“It was your father’s choice to refuse the alliance. All he had to do was—”
“Humble himself before a female. Any Alpha would rather die.” He set off again, but kept his hand on the cord near her throat, forcing her to stay at his side. “He’ll fuck you first, of course. It’s his right as pack Alpha, but I’ll be right behind him.”
Her steps faltered as his threat sank in. How would she survive being taken over and over, defiled again and again? Bile rose into her throat. Her hands clenched into fists. She had to find a way out of this!
His laughter abraded, his tone taunted. “Once the others have finished, we’ll clean you up and start over again.”
“No,” Moloch said from in front of them. “The others will not touch her. I just identified her scent. We’re about to sample Balam’s whore.”
Marut looked at her with new interest. “You spread your thighs for the Prime Leader? I’ve heard he’s repulsive.”
“He’s less of an animal than you!” She ducked his backhand just in time, but the cord tightened around her neck, choking her.
Moloch ordered the others to continue on and took her leash from his son. “The hunting party will manage without us tonight. I’ve waited half my life for an opportunity like this.”
She kicked out at him. He caught her leg, toppling her sideways. With her arms bound she fell hard on her hip, then her head smacked the ground. Pain exploded behind her eyes, dragging a cry from her dry throat.
Moloch flipped her onto her stomach and pulled up on her hips.
He meant to take her like the animal he was! Fury and fear combined in a surge of power. She dispersed the Shadow cords and transformed. Leaping forward, her paws found purchase on the leaf-strewn ground and she bounded off into the darkness.
Marut’s angry howl echoed through the night, but Verrine didn’t pause. She darted between trees and dove beneath low-hanging branches. He might have had the advantage in the open corridor, but she was agile and quick…and fighting for her life.
His paw swiped her hindquarters, tearing through her flesh. She protested with a feline yowl and leapt high into a tree. Branches groaned and leaves rustled. He was close behind! The tree swayed b
eneath their combined weight.
She climbed higher. The branch beneath her bowed precariously. His claw caught her calf, but she ignored the searing pain, focused entirely on escape.
“Afraid of heights, Marut?” She sent the taunt as she inched toward the leafy profusion marking the end of the branch. “Come and get me, puppy!”
He leapt forward. She waited for the last possible second and launched herself into the next tree. His big body came down on the spot where she had been an instant before. The branch snapped and he plummeted to the forest floor.
She heard his howls and more snapping branches as he crashed through the tree. No time to gloat, she still had to elude the rest of his pack.
* * *
“We can cover more ground if we split up,” Balam told the other three.
Arioch and Jetrel could communicate effortlessly even over long distances, so Jetrel and Lilith set off in one direction, the brothers in the other.
Jetrel took Lilith’s hand and gave it a little squeeze. She tried to smile, but the knot of tension in her belly made it feel more like a grimace.
“I can’t help but feeling this is my fault,” she lamented. “If I hadn’t pushed for Canine Clan’s—”
“Placing blame will not help us find her, my love. And we will find her. Focus. Listen to the night. Let your senses guide you.”
Nodding, she accessed her feline senses without releasing her demon form. They crept through the trees and Lilith’s hand tightened around Jetrel’s. “She was here. I detect her scent.” Their daughter’s subtle scent was nearly overpowered by the smell of fear. Lilith kept the realization to herself. “This way.”
She turned her face to the wind, pausing while her brain processed the information. Blood. The smell of fresh blood was all around them.
Her breath shuddered and she rushed on.
A Canine howl rent the night and Lilith whipped her head toward the sound. It came from a different direction than Verrine’s scent. “They’ve lost her.” She exhaled a ragged breath, relief washing over her in a calming wave. “She escaped.”
