by Marie Harte
Instead she moaned as hands and lips traveled all over her naked body. Zelec entered her in a swift plunge, taking her hard and fast. But then he stuttered and she blinked to see Jentaron behind him.
And in him, by the way he rocked them together. The dragon stood at the edge of the bed driving her mate inside her.
The pounding grew more intense as blue flame stole over the three of them, soothing her wounds while igniting a passion she couldn’t resist.
“Fuck. Deeper, damn it,” Zelec growled as Jentaron hammered home.
The sex was loud and rough, and Ella came on a rush of love and desire.
Zelec and Jentaron followed, their own orgasms lasting what seemed like an eternity.
When finished, the pair withdrew to the shower and dragged her with them. All of them wobbly on their feet, they washed in hot water and let it cleanse them of everything bad, bringing love and order to back the forefront of their worlds.
Jentaron removed his remaining bandages.
Zelec swore.
She pushed the hair out of her eyes and stared at Jentaron’s face. “Your eye,” she croaked. One half of that beautiful pair of blue and silver eyes no longer existed. A gaping hole where his orb should have been was just empty.
“Couldn’t regenerate that one.” Jentaron didn’t sound upset about the fact. Instead he sounded like his young, chipper self.
“Shit. Maybe I can heal it? I’m recharged. Let me try.” Zelec cupped his hand over Jentaron’s eye and pushed.
She felt the tingle of his power but knew nothing had happened even before he pulled away.
“The Hunger ate it before the others pushed them back.” Jentaron shrugged. “My first battle scar. Well, not really a scar, but I think it counts.”
“Does it hurt?” Ella asked and gently stroked his face near the injury, close to tears at his loss.
“No. It’s just gone. I can’t see, obviously, but other than that, it’s not an issue.”
“Oh, sweetie. I’m so sorry.” Ella hugged him.
Then Zelec hugged them both before stepping back. “Well, I knew it was gone. That’s why I let him fuck me. Out of pity.”
She and Jentaron gaped at him before realizing the tricky demon was smirking.
“And, you know, because he’d earned it.”
“That is so wrong,” Ella said, trying not to laugh.
“So wrong,” Jentaron agreed and pulled Zelec under the spray of water, making him sputter. He kissed his demon while Ella went down on Zelec. And after she’d taken care of him, she did the same to Jentaron.
Of course, they didn’t leave her hanging either.
Their shower to clean up turned into an orgy that lasted another hour. When they finally returned to bed, they slept like the dead.
* * * * *
Jentaron woke feeling much better than he had since losing the eye. He wouldn’t lie to his mates. He viewed his lack of sight in his left eye as no more than an inconvenience. He looked forward to trying out eye patches. Or perhaps some kind of intimidating headband. Maybe now his kind would see him for the badass king he was.
He shifted, and Zelec pulled him close.
“Mmm” his demon murmured and ground an erection against his ass. Taking Zelec had been worth losing the eye. Pity-fuck indeed. He grinned. Zelec had hugged his cock and milked him of seed without effort. And taking Zelec while Zelec took Ella? A perfect score, to Jentaron’s way of thinking.
He had to turn his head to see Ella, because she’d been on his blind side. Seeing no sign of her, he left the bed to find her while Zelec remained asleep. He found her in the living room with Asael and…Lucifer?
Moving to his mate, he stood behind her and planted a hand on her shoulder.
She jumped then settled down and leaned back against him, looking adorable all bundled up in James’s fluffy—prissy, Zelec would call it—robe.
Ella clutched his hand on her shoulder but didn’t turn to face him, completely absorbed by the two Fallen in front of her.
Asael seemed intrigued, hanging back while Lucifer studied Ella.
“You look like your mother,” the leader of all the Fallen said.
“I. Well. Ah, you know Mom?”
“I knew her back when—how old are you?”
“Twenty-seven.”
“Twenty-seven years and nine months ago.” Lucifer smiled. “I looked a bit different then, but it doesn’t matter. You take after her.”
“You’re kidding me.” Asael stared from her to Lucifer and back. “Yours?” Then he glared at Jentaron. “Zelec is still mine, so by association, she’s mine too. Somehow. There’s a loophole, I know it.” He gave Ella a frustrated sigh, then vanished.
Jentaron realized the full implications of mating Ella. He chuckled and a puff of smoke escaped his nose. “Hey there. Dad.”
Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose. “I must be going. A lot to do now that we’re establishing territories in the Ordinary.” To Jentaron he said, “Will you be staying above or going back below?”
Jentaron rubbed his chin. “I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. A lot will depend on Ella and Zelec.”
“Watch your demon. Asael is plotting.”
“Isn’t he always?” Aren’t you?
Lucifer laughed, and the soft music of his joy played like light through raindrops, pure and illuminating. Then the Morning Star stroked Ella’s cheek, sighed, and faded away in a mist of purity and sin.
“Dramatic way of teleporting, but then Lucifer’s quite the showboat.”
Ella spun around, clutching the robe. It didn’t bother him that the garment in question belonged to James. Jentaron’s scent was all over his female. Well, his and Zelec’s scents, which made their claiming even stronger.
“Lucifer’s my father?” she whispered. “I need to sit down.”
He followed her to the couch and sat with her, an arm around her shoulder. “It’s no big deal. I hatched from an egg. Zelec’s mom was a succubus who was really a creator deity, and his father is Lord of the Abyss. If anything, I now command, without a doubt, the most powerful stronghold in the lower realm.” He grinned. “Without an eye and still kicking Asael’s ass. It’s really going to chap him when Eve gives birth to the first of the nailiim in a few months.”
“The what?”
“You’ll have them too. Dragon-demon offspring. Well, I’m not sure if our young will be nailiim or demon or a combination of all of us, because you’re both human and angel, but they will be powerful as hell.”
She paled. “Um, about offspring. How does that work?” She glanced down at his rising cock and stared.
“You can’t be confused about sex. We’ve done that enough to show you how it works, haven’t we?” he teased. When her wild expression remained, he relented. “You’re not in your breeding time. A nephilim isn’t fertile like a normal human. And your mates, a demon and a dragon, aren’t normal either. When we’re all ready to breed, I’ll let you know. And before you ask—” her unease was just delightful “—you won’t be laying eggs. You’ll carry my baby and Zelec’s in that sexy belly of yours.” He palmed his cock. “Just the thought of it gets me hard.”
“Everything gets you hard, one-eye,” Zelec said from the hallway. He yawned and scratched his chest but wore nothing, same as Jentaron. And Jentaron appreciated the view. One thing he could say for certain about his mates, they were magnificent specimens. Ella might think she was average, but to a dragon that could see into the heart of a person, she was beauty personified. Especially when she smiled.
“One-eye, eh?” Jentaron held his stiff cock for Zelec to see. “Come over here and blow my one-eye, Asael’s son.” He winked at Ella. “I know a lot of names for my ‘one-eye’.”
“Hey now.” Zelec frowned. “There’s no call to be insulting.”
Ella blew
out a breath and sighed. “I guess I don’t feel so bad about Lucifer being my dad. At least he seems more polite than Asael.”
Zelec just stared at her. “Lucifer?”
“I didn’t know your voice could get that high,” Jentaron said with a straight face then laughed. “I am the mightiest king in the world.” He held up both hands above his head and fist pumped into the air. “Hmm. I think instead of this blank socket, I should fill it with blue flame. It would look badass. What do you think?”
He concentrated and let his internal blue fire burn in the place of where his eye should have been.
“Oh, I like it.” Ella clapped.
“Not bad.” Zelec leaned closer. “But I’m still calling you one-eye.”
“Fine, darkling. Now come over here and blow me. I want Ella to watch and learn.”
She snorted. “Yeah, Zelec. Teach me.”
“Tell you what. You watch me suck him off, so you’ll know exactly how to handle me.” “Just like in the shower, you little tease,” Zelec sent them both.
They all laughed, but Jentaron wasn’t laughing for long once Zelec decided to get even. With his tongue.
* * * * *
A day later, after he’d recuperated enough to appear powerful and intimidating as any good dragon king should, Jentaron returned to the stronghold with his mates. They had things to do and plans to set in motion. The world was changing, and he intended to be right there when the proverbial shit hit the fan. He kind of had to be, really.
After gathering his kind together and making great intimidating use of blue flame in his empty eye socket, he made his big announcement—that he and his mates would be establishing a new stronghold in the middle realm.
Prince Teban would be taking over as regent over the lower realm and Ranton would continue to lead the dragon legion, while Jentaron did his kingly duty by grabbing as much territory as possible in the Ordinary.
Tonight at the stroke of midnight all hell would break loose in the middle realm. Not so ordinary after all. It had been Lucifer’s idea to reveal their existence in the dead of night. But then, why not introduce the world to shadows of gray under a full moon?
The dragons as a whole approved of Jentaron’s plan, which surprised him.
“It’s the flaming eye,” Zelec said afterward. “Gives you gravitas.”
Jentaron snorted.
“True.” Ella agreed, a twinkle in her eye. She grew serious. “Are you sure you aren’t making the move to the middle realm to appease me? I mean, I know I’m not more important than dragonkind, but—”
“You’re part of the reason, Ella,” Jentaron admitted. “The truth is we need to be close to the unveiling, but never doubt how much your happiness impacts mine.”
“You’re so sweet.”
“Please.” Zelec huffed. “It was my idea.”
Jentaron ignored him. “Once the ethereal move in, it’ll be a fight to grab and hold onto territory. I’ll need you two to help me put on a united front.”
“True, and you’ll have it. You need someone to keep you in line anyway.” Zelec stepped forward and slapped him on the back, then stroked his wing—an intimacy Jentaron encouraged as the sensual spot made him purr. Ella did him one better and kissed him, then their demon.
“I can’t believe you are sticking me with these idiots,” Teban snarled from behind them. “Kihra and James think you’re wrong about this too.”
“No, we don’t.” Kihra waved at Ella.
Now that Ella was secure in Jentaron’s affection and support, she no longer felt jealous of the havoc, Kihra. She’d been one with her dragon, and he belonged to her and their demon. Not jealous of Kihra’s amazing beauty. Nope. Not at all.
Zelec tried to hide a knowing grin. “Not even a little?”
“Oh shut up,” she said aloud.
James approached, and Duncan popped out of nowhere behind him. Together, in perfect harmony, they gushed at Zelec. “Brother!”
Zelec looked like he wanted to bolt. “Brats from the very first day I changed your diapers.”
While Ella and Kihra shared a grin, Jentaron and Teban didn’t bother to hide their laughter.
“You do realize we have conquered the Sinclairs in the name of dragonkind,” Teban stated with pride. “We are mighty, are we not, King Jentaron?”
“Yes, Prince Teban. You’re right of course.”
Together the dragon brothers shouted, “We are dragon, hear us roar.” Their kin yelled it right back, much to the demons’ dismay.
“Well, hell.” James frowned.
Duncan sighed. “We might have lost some status with the dragons, but, James, we gained a brother. I’m so happy I could just die.” The evil grins of glee on the twins’ faces made Ella laugh. She hugged her dragon, who was equally amused, watching poor Zelec try to extricate himself from the huggy Sinclairs.
“I’m in hell,” he mouthed to her.
“Me too,” she mouthed back, then thought, “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” “I can’t wait to see where the future takes us.” Speaking of which, she and her mates had to figure out where they planned to live topside, back in the Ordinary. A new home for the three of them.
Hmm. A huge dragon and a demon with that wingspan. “Gotta be someplace big.”
“Bigger is always better,” her mates said at the same time.
She couldn’t agree more, except when it came to royal egos. Now that Zelec had been dubbed a duke of hell by Lucifer himself, and officially forgiven by Asael, he’d taken to referring to himself in the third person. The goofball.
“The Duke insists we leave these lizards for our dinner date with Aunt Jo and Milo,” Zelec said in a haughty tone, then winked at her. “He will be most pleased to enjoy a meal with the royal aunt-in-law.”
“Lizards?” Teban narrowed his eyes.
Kihra shook her head. “This does not bode well. Come, Teban. James.”
“Wait,” James said. “Why is he a duke? I’m smarter than he is. I stole a dragon egg. Why does no one remember my greatness?”
“Yeah, what he said,” Duncan chimed in.
Jentaron exchanged a glance with Ella. “I was that egg, and look at me now. Come, let’s go before my new demon family gets me in trouble with the upper realm again.”
“Again?” Zelec frowned. “What happened last time?”
Sapphira popped in to grab her mate. “You don’t want to know.”
Ella grinned. “Let’s go home, lovers. Time to meet the family.” And someday we’ll have our own baby demons and dragons, up in the Not-So-Ordinary.
Fanged smiles met her before they teleported…home.
About the Author
Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Harte has over 100 books published with more constantly on the way. She’s a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s always plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. You can contact her at [email protected].
To read more about Marie, visit www.marieharte.com
Look for these titles by Marie Harte
Now Available:
A Scorching Seduction
Best Revenge
Served Cold
Served Hot
Served Sweet
Cougar Falls
Rachel’s Totem
In Plain Sight
Foxy Lady
Outfoxed
A Matter of Pride
Right Wolf, Right Time
By the Tail
Prey & Prejudice
Ethereal Foes
The Dragons’ Demon: A Dragon’s Dream
Duncan’s Descent: A Demon’s Desire
Havoc & Hell: A Drago
n’s Prize
The Dragon King: Not So Ordinary
Westlake Enterprises
To Hunt a Sainte
Storming His Heart
Love in Electric Blue
Wicked Warrens
Enjoying the Show
Closing the Deal
Raising the Bar
Making the Grade
Bending the Rules
Don’t miss the other titles in Marie Harte’s Series!
When a demon and a dragon get busy, “burning up the sheets” gets real.
Ethereal Foes, Book 3
James thought stealing a royal dragon egg was a terrific idea—until the prank went sideways. His sister and twin brother have done their penance. Now it’s his turn. Ten days of servitude to Teban, the dragon prince—James’s best friend. Such a light sentence has to have a catch, so James does what any good demon would do. He bolts.
His string of bad luck holds steady when he falls prey to a pretty woman with sharp teeth. Kihra is havoc, a race of lower-realm creatures even demons fear. When she joins forces with Teban, their torment becomes delectable sin. No vice is too addictive, no demand too brutal when it comes to satisfying his lovers’ needs.
All seems hellishly perfect—until the angels arrive for some payback. Kihra’s kidnapped, Teban is missing, and James suffers the beatdown of the millennium. But he has no intention of letting his lovers go, though he risks the wrath of the demon king, the ire of the dragons, and an angelic punishment that could start a world-ending war.
Warning: Contents highly flammable. Contains dragons and demons having a painfully pleasurable good time. Havoc—literally—ensues. Handle with care.
A prank gone wrong throws three unlikely partners together: A demon. A dragon. And an egg.
Ethereal Foes, Book 1
In the ordinary world, forces are at work which keep the balance of the universe in order. Enter Eve Sinclair, a higher demon with a mission—to sway those souls on the brink of Decision, to push them toward hell, as they are meant to go.
After a prank played by her brothers, Eve finds herself holding the proverbial bag, accused of stealing a precious dragon egg. Worse, it’s a royal egg, as she learns from Ranton, the furious commander of the dragon legion.
