His body tensed above hers, and he shook his head. “I would savor this.”
“But you can’t control yourself, can you?”
“No,” he ground out. “Wrap your legs around me.”
She didn’t dare hesitate, lifting her thighs and draping them around his hips, forcing his cock a little deeper inside her.
His belly undulated, and his cock glided deep. He locked his gaze with hers, fierce, frightening excitement glittering in his eyes, and then he thrust hard, a harsh gasp bursting between his lips. He pounded at her, stroking deep each time, rutting endlessly inside her, his entire body rubbing against her, chest to groin, as he pummeled her.
Petra clutched him close, her mouth opening around deep, choked grunts as he stroked, forcing air from her lungs in sharpening gusts.
“Petra?” Octavius said tightly.
She shook her head. “I’m all right. I want this. Close, God, Hades…”
His laughter was strained, brittle—and filled with masculine triumph. And still he kept moving, his movements deepening, causing the wooden bed frame to groan and creak.
A hand slipped between their bodies, scraping intimately past slick bellies and lower. Fingers pressed against her clit, and Petra screamed as her body exploded.
The fingers moved from her clit, and Hades halted abruptly, his head swiveling toward Octavius. “Let go of my balls.”
“Enough,” Octavius said furiously. “You’ve ridden her hard. Find your release now.”
“I can’t stop,” he said, emphasizing his point with another deep lunge.
Octavius heaved a huge sigh then climbed onto the bed behind them.
“Tav… fuck!” Hades ground out.
“You’re done. Now!”
Petra didn’t have to guess long what Octavius was up to. His hands smoothed down Hades’ sides to his buttocks.
Hades sank against her, rutting helplessly.
Over his shoulder, she watched as Octavius cupped his ass and slid fingers down the other man’s crevice. Then he gritted his teeth, his lips pulling back in a grimace, and thrust them inside.
Hades shouted, and liquid heat washed inside her in pulsing streams.
“Now, get off her, before you harden again.”
Hades gulped for breath but nodded against her. The crank ticked, lifting Hades by the hands off her body until he hung, suspended from the ceiling.
Petra backed away, careful not to touch him again. Then she knelt in front of him to look into his face. “Do we have a bargain, milord?
His lips curved into a tired smile. Sweat ran in rivulets from his hair to drip off his chin. “When you meet my wife, you must never tell her what your gargoyle did.”
Petra smiled with relief. “Do you think she’ll believe you less manly?”
“She’ll laugh like a hyena. And don’t mention the manacles.”
“Because you don’t want to give her any ideas?” Petra quirked an eyebrow. “Are you in control of yourself?”
He nodded.
She leaned around Hades. “Unlock him now.”
Scrambling off the bed, she put distance between herself and the two men. She had yet to see the gargoyle’s face lose its tension. She didn’t know if he was angry. Didn’t know if eventually he would be pleased with her bargain, because she’d all but tied them together. Maybe he didn’t want a permanent relationship with her.
Hades glared daggers at Octavius as the winged man released him from the shackles. Then he sprang from the bed, his movements fast and jerking. Despite the fact she wasn’t touching him, his cock was already filling. “Damnation,” he said, staring at himself in disgust.
Petra suppressed a grin, knowing how he felt. Her body ached deliciously—her pussy throbbed in time with her heartbeats, her nipples stung. Another round of lovemaking would be painful. Still, she was willing. It would only take a curl of his fingers to convince her she must lie down again.
Octavius didn’t watch Hades staring at his cock. His gaze pinned her, red spots of anger blooming on his cheeks.
She sighed. How must he feel? A woman, a human woman, had bargained for him like he was a coveted object.
Hades gripped his cock and stroked himself, eyeing the two of them. “This won’t be a comfortable bargain.”
“Not for either of you,” Petra murmured.
“But you are pleased.” Hades grunted and raised his head. With his feet braced apart, his hands on his hips, he was darkly handsome. Nearly irresistible.
She didn’t want to admit that her bargain was more than a little self-serving, not in front of Octavius, but she nodded anyway. “I know what this place is. I know what you are. But I’m willing to return. Eager even.”
Hades’ slow smile turned sly as he faced Octavius. “You have another chance. Go, before I change my mind. But first…” He strode toward the cabinet and pulled out the golden headdress. He tossed it to Octavius. “For your return journeys. Charon is destined to be disappointed.”
At that, Octavius’s scowl eased. A soft grunting chuckle erupted. He bowed at the waist.
“Now, go. And send my attendants in as you leave. I have need of them.”
Petra bit back a grin and followed Octavius out the door, happy to be escaping and exultant that she’d won.
When the doors closed behind them, Octavius grabbed her arms and turned her, slamming her back against the wall of the corridor and easing so close they shared the same breaths. “I don’t need you to save me. Never again.”
She glared back. “I had to do it.”
“Because you need me?” he asked, his gaze boring into hers.
Petra wet her lips, hesitating to say it, but she’d been completely honest with Hades, how could she be less so with Octavius? “I had to do it, because I love you.”
His breath caught, and his mouth swooped down to devour hers in a fierce hot kiss that ended far too quickly. Then he was jerking her behind him, stomping furiously away.
Petra didn’t mind his show of pique. She’d pushed him, manipulated him as much as she had his overlord. For a long time to come, she figured she’d be made to pay for his frustration. She didn’t mind. He hadn’t cringed when she’d made her declaration. Maybe he didn’t know quite how he felt about her. Not yet.
But he’d known all along that they were fated to be together.
Octavius stepped off Charon’s boat and didn’t look back. Charon had pouted when he’d slipped the gold coins into his palm, but he’d kept silent when he’d recognized their stamp. Hades himself had paid the passage, and he’d had clothing delivered to the boat for both of them. Charon didn’t dare attempt to renegotiate their fare. Not when another boat followed with an iron cage, forged by Hades to capture the demon. His minions would deliver it. All they had to do was place it inside the house, and Gazsi would be swept inside, gone from the house and their lives to live in Hades’ domain—a slave, forever.
Before Petra could turn to offer her farewell to Charon, Octavius hauled her into his arms and ran three steps, lifting off the ground with ease. The flight back to the garden took less than a minute.
When he set down, Petra unwound her arms and legs then glanced around them. Her gaze went to the house where light filtered through curtains at several windows. “Mr. Spalding is here,” she said in a quiet voice. “We should hurry.”
He heaved a sigh. “A moment first.”
She turned a questioning glance his way.
“Before…” Octavius lifted her hands and held them between his own, stroking the backs of her hands with his thumbs while gathering the courage to ask what he must. “You said you love me.”
Even with only moonlight shining on her face, he could see color bloom on her cheeks. “Do you want to know whether I meant it, or whether I think I love you because of everything you bring me?”
“Yes,” he said, a lump forming at the back of his throat.
Petra pulled away one hand and placed her palm against his cheek. Her eyes glistened w
ith unshed tears, but a smile trembled on her lips. “I might not have lived centuries or known a host of men. And I’m not sure exactly what love is. But I can tell you this—I can’t imagine not spending all my days with you. I can’t imagine ever wanting a man the way I want you—inside my body, in my heart. I risked my own life and freedom for you, making that bargain. Isn’t that proof enough that you’re the most important thing in my life?”
Octavius nodded. He slid his hands up her arms then cupped her cheeks in his palms. “I have lived a very long time. And I can tell you without any doubt that I’ve never allowed a woman to lead me even once. And yet, this night, I held two men while you pleasured them, and I derived pleasure from watching your arousal and confidence blossom. I can’t imagine ever wanting a woman more than I want you this moment. I love you, Petra.”
Bending, he pressed his mouth to hers, intending a chaste kiss. But again, in her magical way, he was drawn deeper as her arms wound around him and her fingers played along the upper curve of his wings. His wings trembled and flared, and he wrapped his arms around her and drew her off the ground, spiraling upward as their kiss deepened.
When he lifted his mouth, she clung to him, laughing with delight. “Is it possible…?”
She didn’t dare ask, but he read the question in the excitement glittering in her eyes. Octavius suppressed a grin. He’d never tell her she wasn’t the first woman he’d made love to while flying toward the clouds. Every experience with her felt like a first. “We’ll have plenty of time to find out. Many nights to experiment.” He wouldn’t tell her yet but one of Hades’ gifts was immortality. Something he’d blessed her with when he’d come inside her. They’d have an eternity to discover new pleasures.
He brought them softly down and folded back his wings. “Are you ready?”
She nodded and placed her hand inside his. Together, they walked down the dark, narrow pathway toward the house. Whatever awaited them inside, they’d face it together. The weaves of their lives had blended their fates together. Forever.
Big Bad Wolf
Night Fall, Book #13
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Delilah Devlin
Chapter One
The moment Calum Fletcher stepped into The Cavern, his body quickened. The heavy thud of his heart pounded at his temples. His skin prickled. Above the scent of booze and sex, he noted the musty, metallic odor of blood, and his stomach churned. Every instinct shouted danger.
Striding past the brawny, dull bouncer at the door, he kept moving, needing to draw calm around him before his nature was revealed. Although the vampires had been warned of his pack’s arrival in Seattle, he preferred to cloak himself in humanskin, free of wolf scent. The better to study the enemies he’d now be aligning with in war.
Dance music beat against his body. Bright, strobing lights pierced his eyes. Turning from the dance floor, he moved toward the bar, ignoring the activities of the patrons—the feasting, the fucking. Everywhere, except at the bar, an orgy of bloodlust and sexual excess was in progress.
The blonde behind the bar gave him quick, assessing glance. Her green eyes narrowed. “Can I get you a drink?” she asked, all the while continuing to watch him as though she expected trouble.
“A beer.”
“No preference?”
He shook his head, wanting to look away, but he was studying her as well. The blonde, uneven cut that barely reached to her chin looked wind-tousled. Her pale unpainted cheeks were as smooth as porcelain. Her mouth was bowed but held in a tight, firm line. Below, her figure was lean and muscled with only a slight flare of hips and a meager bosom.
And then he viewed her clothing—a black, form-fitting tank and faded blue jeans with ragged holes over both knees, stuffed into square-toed black boots. Harsh, dark. Echoing the look in the eyes. Vampire, he concluded. Had she already guessed his true nature?
She placed the beer on a cardboard coaster in front of him. “Haven’t seen you here before,” she said, her voice soft, but with a hint of an edge.
“I’m from out of town.” Out of state, actually, but he didn’t elaborate.
“How did you find this place?”
He gave a shrug then met her gaze, locking with it. “I was walking along the docks. Heard the music.”
She frowned. “And once you came inside...?”
Her tone clued him she was angling to hear what he thought of what was going on. A human who ventured inside by accident should be shocked. So, she hadn’t made him.
He held still. Barely breathed. If she knew he wasn’t a willing “host,” someone who understood the rules of the blood exchange, what would she do? His curiosity was piqued by her deepening frown and downturned mouth. Was she considering giving him a “friendly” warning?
Calum broke with her gaze and glanced at the dance floor. Most pairs danced, bodies moving in a wild fervor. A few barely swayed while hosts’ necks bent and vamps’ mouths worked, teeth and tongues biting and licking. He barely repressed a shudder. Worse, his gums tingled. When he turned back, he didn’t bother hiding a frown.
She reached out a hand and cupped the back of his wrapped around the beer. “Are you curious?” she asked, her voice thicker than before and lisping.
Curious about her, yes. Which should have alarmed him. But she wasn’t flirting and wasn’t attempting to use her vampire’s tricks to seduce him. Her gaze was direct. A straightforward challenge.
And although he wasn’t there to play, he did have time to satisfy his curiosity. The rest of his pack would be arriving soon enough. He’d pushed ahead of the convoy while they’d stopped for a meal. He gave a slight nod.
Her chest rose, and she lifted a hand to signal to a waitress, who made her way behind the far end of the long wooden bar. Then the blonde lifted the hinged, vertical opening in the bar and stepped through to join him.
Standing next to him, she had to raise her head to meet his gaze, something that appeared to irritate her, because a frown dug a line between her brows. “Bring your beer.” She stepped past him, skirting the dance floor and moving toward a row of leather-upholstered booths at the opposite side of the room, lit only by candles set in decorative glass bowls.
He followed, beer in hand, then slid into the booth she indicated.
Rather than taking a seat opposite him, she slid in beside him and turned, raising one knee to the seat. Her gaze went to his beard then trailed over his chest and below, before slowly rising again to his face. “I’m Ginnie,” she said, her voice huskier than before.
He noted the sharpened tips of her corner canines, peeking from beneath her upper lip. “Calum,” he said, his own voice deepening. His breathing was coming faster, sitting this close to her, drinking in her sweet-almond scent, which should have acted like repellent. But almond blended with a slight hint of vanilla and her feminine musk, and now moisture gathered in his mouth. He wanted a taste.
His mouth twitched and, inside, he laughed at himself for his attraction. How long had passed since he’d fucked a woman? Now, he wished he’d come better prepared. Vampires were naturally sensual creatures. That was all this lust was. He was growing aroused because she was what she was, and he’d been without for far too long.
She cleared her throat, and her glance shifted to the side, toward those occupying the tables around them.
One couple was particularly “involved.” A woman with a loosened skirt straddled a creature whose bony mask was revealed and mashed against her neck. The way she moved on him, jerking forward and back, Calum knew they fucked. The creature’s growl rumbled as his jaws worked. The woman sobbed softly and mewled, likely teetering between rapture and death.
Calum’s fists balled, and he stiffened, ready to push up from the table, but he wasn’t quick enough.
In a gray blur, Ginnie moved toward the couple and gripped the male vampire’s hair. She bent toward his ear and whispered.
Calum had no problem hearing her soft but harsh voice.
The creature growled more loudly, warning her off.
Ginnie bent, reached into the top of her boot, and slid out a stake. She slipped it between the slats of the chair back and pressed it forward, just a couple of inches.
Jay released the woman and stretched his arms to reach behind him. His face crackled and reformed to reveal a man in his early twenties. “Ginnie, dammit. Stop!”
“Take care of her,” she growled then pulled back the stake. “I won’t warn you again.” When she returned to the booth, she stood beside it, studying Calum’s expression, her frown deeper. “So, do you want to?”
Calum’s eyebrows shot upward. “Which part? The fucking or the nearly dying?”
Her lips tightened. “Look, I’m...hungry.”
And getting bitchy, by her tone. Calum wasn’t prepared to share his blood. Not yet. His secret would be out, and now, he was interested in how she would cajole him to give up a vein. That she wasn’t simply forcing him spoke to the fact she wasn’t entirely soulless. Good to know, since they’d soon be fighting on the same side. “I don’t know...” His gaze swept her lean frame.
Her sigh dropped her shoulders. “Follow me. I’ll take you somewhere more private.” Turning on a heel, she walked away, again skirting the floor, her head pivoting toward the crowd, likely gauging whether she’d have to intervene again, but she continued toward a set of stairs that led upward to a booth above the club floor.
He followed, more slowly, noting the jerking sway of her backside, the stiffness of her shoulders, and wondering why she acted angry. Was she irritated with him? Or herself?
Once up the stairs, she stood to the side, her hand on the doorknob, waiting for him to pass inside what appeared to be a well-furnished office with a sitting area.
After he entered, she turned the lock on the knob. Then, with her back to him, she drew her tank from the waist of her jeans and pulled it over her head. The bra fell away. Next, she toed off her boots and pushed down her jeans. Once completely nude, she turned slowly to face him.
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