by Alysha Ellis
And wider.
And wider.
Suddenly she was once again assailed by doubt. She backed off and looked up at him. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
His hips jerked forward. There was desperation in his voice. “Sure you can. If you try, you can.”
He’d been right every other time. She took a deep breath and believed. And suddenly her mouth was wrapped around him, her tongue swirling and probing in the cleft at the top of his cock. One of her hands curled around the base of his penis where it would not fit into her mouth, rhythmically stroking and squeezing it. Her other hand cradled and caressed his balls.
His hips began to jerk. His body, suspended by the chains above him, swayed and bounced to the delirious rhythm of Jess’ greedy mouth. The pace was frantic, punctuated by the sound of grunts and slurps and moans Jess had no desire to control. She felt his balls contract tightly upwards and seconds later felt the thick, rich spurt of semen splash against the back of her throat.
Her hands slipped around his bum and grabbed, forcing his penis deeper. She felt every beat and quiver as he shuddered into her.
When he stilled, she stayed where she was, nestled below the ridges of his hard, muscled stomach. Eventually she stirred and, with a last, teasing flick of her tongue, reluctantly released him. She pursed her lips tightly so he felt every inch of the withdrawal.
The restraints disappeared. The Devil sank down on his knees to face her. “Jess, that was incredible.”
She lifted her head and smiled. Wiped the corners of her mouth with a sassy little flick of her fingers. She buffed her nails on what would have been her shirt had she been wearing one. “Gotta give the Devil his due.”
He hugged her to him and she felt the strong beating of his heart. And hers. What she didn’t feel was one drop of guilt or embarrassment. With his willing surrender, he had made her strong. In Hell, under the Devil’s tutelage, she was becoming someone new, powerful and confident. Someone she was proud to be.
But that was here in Hell. Back in the real world, it would make no difference. Some of her happiness faded. In spite of the delight of the Devil’s lessons, there was really no point in her having learned to embrace pleasure. Without him to share it, what pleasure was there likely to be for her? For a brief moment in time, she had Dev. When he was gone, she would never again want anyone else. Only him. A shudder rippled down her spine.
He held her a little tighter. “Are you cold?” Wrapping her cloak back around her, the Devil nuzzled her hair. “I want you to get to know my kingdom. To see why I love it. Come, there’s more I want to show you.”
She wanted to tell him she already loved it. Wanted to tell him she wanted to stay in his kingdom, with him, but she couldn’t force the words out past the blockage in her throat. Once they were said, he would have to respond. She didn’t want to hear his deep voice reminding her of their bargain. The Prince of Darkness wasn’t going to tie himself to one woman for eternity…and there could be no pleasure for either of them if he let Jess stay here to yearn endlessly for what she couldn’t have.
“I’m fine,” she lied, pinning a Cheshire cat smile to her face. “Let’s go see the rest of your kingdom.”
Chapter Four
“I’m going to take you to the Fantasy and Gothic Department.”
As he spoke he led Jess to a huge, arched gateway leading into a crenellated, tower-topped castle. The walls surrounding it were dark, built of solid stone and decorated with a variety of grotesque gargoyles. Jess looked up at them, distaste and a frisson of fear causing her nose to scrunch up and her lips to wobble.
The entire effect was ruined when one of the gargoyles abruptly straightened, winked at Jess and moaned. “You have no idea how bad it is for your back, holding that pose for hours.” He stretched then looked down and saw the Devil. He snapped to attention. “Good afternoon, Sir.”
The Devil spoke, but Jess paid no attention. She stood stock still, looking at the sight in front of her.
The wide, sunny courtyard, covered in a manicured lawn and surrounded by flowering garden beds, was beautiful and inviting, but the creatures scattered all over the grass, lounging in groups and basking in the sunshine, took her breath away. Unicorns, griffins, centaurs and dragons dozed or conversed quietly among themselves.
More than anything else, Jess’ attention was caught by the dragons. Their scaly bodies winked and glittered in a vast array of colours and sizes. One particularly large specimen roused itself and shook out its wings. Flashes of gold and emerald light blazed out as the sun hit the shimmering surface.
Jess marvelled at the dragon’s beauty as it lifted its head and shot a river of blue and gold flame into the sky. “Fire breathing creatures from Hell,” Jess sighed. “How absolutely perfect.”
“It certainly is.”
Jess spun around to see who had spoken. Making his way towards her, his gaze locked on her, was one of the most darkly handsome men Jess had ever seen. His face could have been carved by a master. His full, shapely lips defined the word ‘sensual’.
His bare chest was golden, lightly dusted with hair and rippled with muscles. His hips were…not human.
From the waist down, he was a goat.
Suddenly the Devil was planted firmly between Jess and the satyr. His voice was taut with controlled threat. “Back off, Pan. This one is not for you.”
Jess poked her head around the Devil’s wide back.
The satyr hadn’t spared the Devil a glance. He stalked towards Jess with deliberate intent. He licked his lips and said, “They’re all mine. You know that.”
Threat and lecherous desire emanated from the being. The acid taste of fear soured Jess’ throat.
The Devil reached behind him and tucked Jess more firmly out of sight. “Not this one. This one’s special.”
The Devil’s words, this one’s special, covered her like a cloak, and she snuggled into his protection.
The satyr took one more step forward. The Devil’s back stiffened. He uttered one word, low and powerful. “Stop.”
The satyr halted in mid-stride, one foot hovering in the air. The other creatures in the courtyard stilled.
The satyr took a step backwards, then another. He made a small bow and said, “My apologies, Sir. If I overstepped the mark, it was in response to the extreme attractiveness of your companion. I meant no disrespect, and of course, your word is law.”
“See that you remember that.” The Devil continued to glare at the satyr, as he slowly but determinedly backed away. When he was well out of striking range, he turned and ran.
As the satyr disappeared around a corner, the Devil relaxed. He pulled Jess from behind him and smiled at her. The creatures on the lawn shifted positions and resumed their conversations.
Jess had just been given a potent reminder of who was in charge in this kingdom. The power and control emanating from the Devil was entrancing, especially since he’d used it to protect her. Who knew possessiveness could be so very, very sexy?
He ran a hand over her face. “Are you all right?”
She rested her cheek on his cupped palm. “I was just a bit frightened, that’s all.”
“I will never let anyone hurt you. Never! Do you understand?”
Jess nodded. She knew with complete certainty, for as long she was with the Devil she was safe.
Together they entered the castle. Little of the outside sunshine penetrated the walls. The interior was shadowy and murky.
A tall, thin man, with an unnaturally pale complexion, came forward and made an obeisance. “Sir, how pleasant to see you here. May I offer you and your companion a glass of wine?”
“Thank you, Vlad. We’d like that.”
The man turned with a swirl of his crimson-lined cloak. Over his shoulder he said, “We only drink reds here. I do hope that will be satisfactory.”
The Devil smiled and replied, “Exactly what we expected. Of course that will be fine.”
Before they reached the door, a
huge animal hurtled around the corner and charged towards them. Jess gasped, and again the Devil instantly placed her behind him.
Vlad spoke sharply. “Hubert. Behave yourself.” He gestured to where the Devil stood protectively in front of Jess. “Can you not see it is the Master?” He looked at the large clock standing against the wall. “Besides, it’s not the full moon for another two days. What were you thinking?”
The wolf-like creature stood and straightened. Hairy limbs took on a human appearance. Within seconds the only animal attribute that remained was the sheepish expression on a very young man’s face. “Sorry, Sir. It’s just that I enjoy my work so much I sometimes get carried away.”
The Devil patted the young man on the back. “Enthusiasm is a good thing. I’d hate to see you lose it. Just be careful not to let it cause you to scare the wrong people. A werewolf has an important role to play in a lot of fantasies. You don’t want to let your natural enjoyment of the job cause you to behave in a manner detrimental to the profession.”
“Yes, Sir, I mean, no, Sir.”
The gentle rebuke had been given and accepted without loss of authority on one side, or self-respect on the other. It was a masterful display of expertise in management.
The werewolf turned apologetically to Vlad. “I won’t let that happen again. Metamorphosis on the night of the full moon only. No exceptions.”
He bowed deeply to the Devil and loped off with a long, easy stride.
Vlad watched him go then moved to the table and poured the wine. He also offered a rich borscht soup, thick and blood red. The serving spoons he placed before them had extended handles.
Jess picked one up but found it awkward and hard to manipulate. “Do you have any more normal spoons?” she asked politely.
“We do,” Vlad replied. “But for some reason, whenever we sup with the Devil, we use the long spoons. I don’t know why. It’s just habit.”
He went to a side board and drew out some ordinary silver ware. “Why don’t we all just use these? With your permission, Sir?”
The Devil nodded graciously. “I never understood why you did it anyway. I thought it was a cultural thing, something to do with being…umm…dentally challenged, and I didn’t want to give offence. I’d be happy to sup with the short spoons from now on.”
When Vlad handed the spoon to Jess, she smiled at him. “Do you have a lot of old and mysterious traditions here? You must have seen some astounding things in your lifetime.”
Vlad nodded.
“I’d love to hear about some of them, if you wouldn’t mind telling me.”
Vlad’s lips peeled back into a cadaverous smile, revealing a pair of yellowed, triangular fangs. Jess gripped the Devil’s hand but kept her expression light and interested. After a few minutes she became so absorbed in what Vlad was telling her, she forgot his chilling appearance.
“Do you remember that boy Abraham, Sir? The one who came to the castle and stayed with me a while?” Vlad tilted his head and smiled reminiscently. “I lost count of the, ah, girls he availed himself of. Three at a time at one point, I believe.”
The Devil’s lips flattened. “You were too generous, Vlad. You should have let the girls turn him.”
Vlad clasped his corpse-white hands together. “I thought we had time. He was enjoying himself so much, I never thought he’d sneak out like that.”
The Devil’s brows drew together. “Who could predict he’d go back to England, shorten his name to Bram and make a fortune writing a tell-all exposé?”
“Not I,” Vlad said sadly. “I paid for the error though. After his book was published, we were so overrun with young men trying to find the girls we had to leave Transylvania forever.” He turned to Jess with a sigh. “It was dreadful, people searching the castle all day, calling to each other in loud voices, we couldn’t get a wink of sleep. And the smell! These people reeked of garlic! I don’t know who was cooking for them but they’d clearly never heard of moderation.” Vlad gave a little shudder. “No point dwelling on the negatives though. Let me tell you about the vampires who have made careers as politicians.”
He launched into a series of anecdotes, naming names. Several aspects of government economic policy began to make sense to Jess, once she understood blood sucking vampire wasn’t always a metaphor.
When the meal was finished, they rose to go. Jess stood on tiptoe to kiss Vlad’s cheek. “Thank you. I enjoyed hearing all your stories. They were fascinating.”
Outside, the Devil gave Jess a hug.
She hugged him back but asked, “What was that for?”
“For being so kind to an old man who has very few opportunities to tell his tales to someone new. Some people would have ignored him or been bored or frightened.”
Jess shook her head. “I was…surprised for a moment, but I couldn’t have been bored. He has had such interesting experiences.”
The Devil looked at her with gratitude. “Thank you. Many of my people have experienced lifetimes of cruelty and prejudice. You treated Vlad with respect.”
This time the warmth Jess felt wasn’t sexual, but it was strong and compelling, flowing through her from her head to her toes. The way he said my people showed his pride and affection for them. His treatment of the young werewolf was another indication of how seriously he took his responsibilities as monarch, and Hubert’s response revealed how well he performed that role. He was such a complex, multi-faceted creature, and every new side he showed Jess increased her admiration for him, made it even harder to face the time when he would make her leave.
“Jess, I want you to…”
His words interrupted her thoughts, washed over her like ice. He was going to do it now. Tell her the tour was over, send her home. Even if it was only for a few minutes, she wanted a reprieve. She looked about her frantically. “What’s that place over there?”
“Jess, I need to talk to you. There’s something important I have to say.”
“Later. Please. Tell me later. I haven’t seen this bit of the castle, and it looks interesting.”
The animation drained from his face, his lashes lowered, shading his eyes. His lips tightened. “If it’s what you want.”
She wasn’t sure why he was suddenly distant but she knew she didn’t want their last moments together to be spoiled. She put her hand on his arm. “I love your kingdom, Dev. Show me more of it, please.”
He sighed, and the drawn expression on his face relaxed. “We can go back to my rooms this way, and you can take a look as we go past.”
He hurried her along the corridor, ignoring her inquiring glances at the surroundings, rich with light and colour, so different from the rest of the castle. In spite of her impending doom, the intriguing sound of music and laughter lured Jess to try to peek inside.
The Devil abruptly pulled her back just as the door opened a fraction. She had no more than a glimpse of a pink and pretty room, so frilly and fussy Jess expected to see the words Barbie Lane written in the air.
She turned and put her hands on her hips. “Why can’t I go in there?”
The Devil made a face. “That’s where the fairies hang out.”
“Fairies? Fantastic.” Jess turned back to the door.
The Devil’s hand on her wrist tightened. “I don’t want you going anywhere without me, and I am not going in there.”
Jess was stunned. “Why not?” Her voice rose in disbelief. “Are you afraid?”
“Afraid?” The Devil was outraged. “Afraid? I am the Devil. I am not afraid of anything.”
“Then there’s no problem.”
The Devil still didn’t release her hand.
Jess raised her eyebrows. “Why can’t we go in there?”
The Devil glared at her. “Because it’s all girly and cutesy and there’s glitter and fairy dust everywhere. Okay? Every time I go in there I come out covered in all this sparkly stuff, I smell like flowers and the rest of the guys give me a hard time about it for weeks. And they swarm.” He shuddered. “The fairi
es swarm all over me and it gives me the creeps. I am not going in there.”
His look of offended masculinity was too much for Jess even in her misery. With a wry half-smile, she asked, “Why do you keep them here then?”
His face registered blank astonishment. “Because this is their home. They have every right to be here. My not liking them all that much doesn’t change that. I don’t want to hurt their feelings by letting them see they make me uncomfortable, so I stay away.”
“But don’t they get offended if you visit everywhere else and don’t visit them?”
With a dismissive shrug of his shoulders he said, “This department is the most popular in Hell. Everyone wants to see them. They don’t have time to notice if I’m there or not. They don’t miss me.”
If anyone deserved an outsized ego, he did, but he honestly didn’t seem to mind that the fairies could get along perfectly happily without him. With the knowledge she’d gained in her time with him, Jess knew if the fairies were hurt by his absence, he would visit them, no matter how much he disliked it. His responsibility to his people would ensure it, just as his concern for Jess’ pleasure would make him take her in there if she insisted.
No matter how much she wanted to delay her departure, Jess couldn’t bring herself to subject him to an experience he disliked. “Let’s skip it then. When I get back home—” She stopped, swallowed hard and blinked rapidly. “When I get back h-home, I’ll have l-lots of r-really wonderful memories anyway.”
He glared at her without speaking. His face was stark with an expression Jess couldn’t read. In total silence he turned on his heel and strode away. With her hand locked tightly in his she had no choice but to follow him.
She opened her mouth to question him but before she could get a sound out, she found herself standing in his room. He tore off their cloaks and drove into her with no preparation, no words. His ferocity startled Jess. His desperation submerged her sorrow in rising excitement. The frantic pace of his strokes stirred her to passion and her heavy eyelids drifted shut.
“Look at me.” The Devil’s voice was harsh with command, low and gravelly with desire. “Don’t you dare close your eyes. Look at me and know what we’re doing. Know what it means. Look at me when you come. When I come.”
