Burning Midnight

by Rose Wulf

  The kiss broke with her on her back, him leaning over her, Gwen’s cheeks flushed and both of them breathing hard. There was only one problem.

  That dress has to go.

  Gwen stretched out a hand toward his chest, so Knox caught it and pressed a brief, gentle kiss to her knuckles without breaking from her gaze. “Trust me,” he whispered.

  Adjusting his position until he was straddling her knees, Knox took hold of the uncharacteristic dress and hauled it up. But instead of tearing it off completely, he bundled it up around her wrists, over her head. She didn’t struggle, so the loose, impromptu restraint held, and she was lying beneath him in just a pair of panties. His dick twitched, aching for another taste of her. Truthfully, he wanted to do so many things it was almost hard to choose. Almost.

  Knox smirked and leaned down, letting his hands trail down her arms as he brought his lips to her ear. “You’re so fucking sexy,” he murmured. “You might’ve made a mistake, giving me permission to have my way with you.”

  Gwen moaned, her body reacting as his fingers skimmed past her collarbone to the sides of her breasts. “You’re such … a tease.”

  Sitting up enough to let her see his grin, he settled his hands on her boobs, fingers splayed. She sucked in a breath. He molded them, being deliberately rough while careful not to actually cause her pain. He wanted to work her up. Gentle lovemaking wasn’t his style. Besides, she had such nice breasts. Good for grabbing and sucking and, he’d bet, fucking. He definitely wanted to figure that out for himself. Eventually. She shifted beneath him impatiently and his erection strained uncomfortably in his jeans, so Knox bowed his head and pulled one nipple between his teeth.

  Gwen gasped, her body arching a little, before squirming and moaning when he switched from teeth to tongue. He licked around her pert little nipple in circles, planting open-mouthed kisses along her boob, before sucking the nipple itself back into his mouth for a hard lick. Meanwhile, he continued to knead and flick the other until her sounds told him she was lost to sensation.

  Good. He needed her that way because once he got his own clothes off, he was likely to lose direct focus of his goal.

  Knox abandoned her chest, crawled down her body, and peeled off her panties. He wanted, craved, even, another taste of her juices. Before he took her properly, he had to indulge. So he spread her legs, raising his gaze along her body to find her watching him with a sort of surreal anticipation in her eyes. She was aroused, yearning, and yet some part of her still didn’t believe it. That was the curse, of course. That just wouldn’t do.

  Bringing one hand to her center and slipping his fingers through her folds, coating them, he said, “Look at how wet you already are.” Willing her to keep his gaze, he slid his fingers lower and plunged two deep inside her. Her walls were wonderfully tight around him, but even better was the way her chest arched with her sharp intake of breath while she tried so hard to maintain eye contact. He started pumping deep, strong strokes, making sure she felt each one. When he extended his thumb and rubbed it over her clit, she finally gasped and her head fell back against the bed as a long moan escaped her. He watched her body’s reactions to his hand for several more seconds, feeling himself harden to the point of physical pain as she began to rock with his ministrations.

  Watching her ride his hand was possibly the most erotic thing he’d ever laid eyes on.

  He was tempted to finish her off that way, the first time, just to see how she looked. But another glance to the juices coating his hand and he couldn’t hold himself back any longer.

  Knox withdrew his hand, spread her legs as wide as he could, and flattened his tongue along her slit in a long, sensual lick. The hot, sticky taste of her assaulted him and he groaned as she twitched. He swirled his tongue around her clit before dipping down again and lapping at her center. He licked lightly, added firm pressure, and then drove his tongue inside her and twisted it around. He repeated an irregular combination of this several times, enjoying driving her crazy before dragging his tongue up her folds once more and taking her clit properly into his mouth. Plunging two fingers back into her body, Knox sucked hard and rocked slightly into the mattress as Gwen cried out and her body burst around him.

  It was time to kick things up a notch.

  He lingered long enough to lick up a little more of her sweetness, with the sounds of her senseless moans in his ears, before pulling away in order to quickly shed his clothing.

  “Knox,” she said, her voice breathless and pleading. “More.”

  He swept his gaze up her, finding that in her writhing she’d come loose from the makeshift binding of her dress, and offered her his best devilish grin. “Baby,” he said, “I’m just getting started.”

  Kicking the last of his clothes aside, he knelt on the bed, grabbed hold of her hips, and flipped her onto her stomach without providing a warning. She released a soft oomf! but didn’t complain, instead quickly climbing onto her hands and knees for him. Eager. That was good.

  So was her ass. Plump and tight, perfect for squeezing. Did he have any lube in the cabin?

  Shaking his head at himself, Knox coaxed her legs farther apart and slipped his hand beneath her. “I’m not going to take it easy on you, Gwen,” he said. “I want you too bad to be gentle.”

  Her response came out in a half-moan thanks to the slow stroking of his fingers. “Make me scream.”

  He wasn’t entirely sure if his resulting grin was more because of the sexual invitation or because it sounded a little more like the real Gwen was coming through. Either way, though, he’d about reached his limit. Pressing her shoulders down to angle her ass up in the air properly, Knox took hold of her hips and teased, “You got it.” With a sharp snap of his hips, he buried himself completely inside her deliciously tight pussy.

  Gwen cried out, the sound filled with pleasure, and rocked her ass into him.

  Knox lost himself to desire then, his hands grabbing hold of her soft, heated skin wherever he could as he thrust hard into her body over and over again. She was moaning and grinding against him as much as his grip allowed. He’d waited too long and he was already on the edge.

  “Fuck, Gwen,” he said with a grunt as he withdrew, flipped her back over, and surged inside her again as hard as he could. He took hold of one of her legs, lifting it up and over his shoulder, as he propped himself above her enough to keep the power of his thrusts. He sank in and out, hard and fast, encouraged by her thrashing and moaning. She reached for him, daggering her nails into his nearest arm while her other hand settled for the sheet. The sting from her nails only spurred him on and Knox drove himself deep inside her as the orgasm finally crashed over him.

  He felt as though he exploded in a surge of ecstasy like he’d never known. Gwen’s outcry rang in his ears as her body convulsed around him, assuring him she’d come, too.

  He barely managed to roll sideways as he collapsed, briefly exhausted from the force of his release. He was pretty sure that had been better than the first time. Fuck.

  “Knox,” Gwen said, her breathing ragged. She rolled her head to the side and reached for his arm. When he met her gaze, her beautiful hazel eyes were clearer. “You’re … really here, aren’t you?”

  Knox choked on a half-laugh. “It took two orgasms for you to figure that out?” He was teasing her, of course, because he still couldn’t mention the curse. Not until it was gone. So he grinned. “Need a few more for confirmation?”

  She swallowed. Hesitating. Because he’d made progress, but she was still under a curse. “Maybe.” She shook her head and rolled properly into his side. “I don’t know. I … I believe you, but … but I know what I saw.”

  Knox sighed and wrapped his arms around her, bringing them chest to chest. “Sometimes our eyes deceive us. Sometimes you have to rely on other senses. On a combination.” He tilted her chin up. “You can see me, right? Hear my voice, feel my touch?” He leaned down, pulled her in for a slow, open-mouthed kiss. “Taste my kiss?”

  Tear
s built, but held, in her eyes. “Yes.”

  “That’s because I’m here,” he said firmly.

  She released a slow, deliberate breath.

  He waited.

  After several seconds, Gwen finally asked, “What about … Ben?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Confusion continued to twist her gut and disorient her thoughts as she and Knox appeared in her brother’s backyard. The backyard looked exactly as it should have, but that, at least, didn’t seem particularly surprising. The presence of the demon at her side, though at this point undeniable, still confounded her. She remembered the fight in her hallway. Watching Ben and Knox go at each other. The blood splatter that had landed on her hand before she’d been swept away. She’d been told they were both dead, but Knox was obviously not. What did that mean about Ben?

  What does any of it mean?

  “Gwen?” Knox asked, his voice almost cautious, as he gave her hand a squeeze. “You okay to go inside?”

  Gwen drew a breath. So much about the situation was confusing. But the hand holding hers was real. The Knox at her side was real. If she couldn’t at least believe that … then she couldn’t even believe herself, could she? “I’m all right,” she said. She needed to see for herself. Whether or not anything made sense anymore, she needed to at least put in this much of an effort.

  Knox inclined his hand and started forward, encouraging her to move with him. “Come on, then. It’s not smart to linger, anyway. I’m sure your brother’s home by now.”

  She followed his lead, but after a step or two, she asked, “Hey, when did you meet Ben? I don’t remember introducing you.”

  “You didn’t,” he replied, stopping at the slider. “We met at the theater you were abducted from. Ben called me to help find you, at the angel’s suggestion.”

  That gave Gwen pause and she turned widened eyes up at him. “Ben… Which angel? Kai?”

  “Jaelyn.”

  A different kind of guilt swarmed her and Gwen dropped her forehead onto Knox’s shoulder. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  “Gwen,” Knox started, “what did you think would happen when you disappeared like that? Did you think your brother, who loves you more than anything, would just go home and cry helplessly?”

  She didn’t have an answer for that. The truth was, she’d been so wrapped up in what she was doing and the fate that awaited her, she hadn’t given Ben’s inevitable reaction to it a thought. Knox had a perfectly sound point. Her brother wasn’t a fighter in the traditional sense, but he wasn’t the type to roll over. They were all each other had. She should have figured he’d do something.

  The sliding glass door opened then, drawing Gwen’s attention, and Jaelyn took half a step out. “Gwen! Thank goodness!” She pulled Gwen into an embrace, startling Gwen, before turning and nudging Gwen into the house. “Come inside, quickly. I’ll ward the house.”

  “Wait,” Gwen said, knowing Jaelyn meant to ward it against demons, “Knox.”

  Knox was already stepping in, easing the door shut behind himself.

  “He’ll be fine inside,” Jaelyn said. “Of course, he’ll have to stay inside while they’re in place.”

  Gwen studied Knox’s expression, but he simply nodded. He didn’t show any signs of upset. Did he trust Jaelyn that much? Or … was it a sacrifice he was willing to make for her?

  Not sure what to think, or how she felt about either possibility, Gwen turned her attention back to Jaelyn. “Ben. Is Ben here?” Part of her expected to see pain on the angel’s face at the question. Grief, sympathy, something like that. Because of course he wasn’t. Because this was the moment where she got the firm reminder of what she knew—what she’d seen.

  Jaelyn’s lips lifted in a small, sad smile.

  Gwen did her best to prepare herself for the words to come.

  “My God. Gwen!”

  She turned, the voice coming from somewhere just out of her peripheral vision, and tears pricked the backs of her eyes. Her heart clenched and her throat swelled as her precious baby brother rushed across the living room and pulled her into a tight embrace. Her arms lifted of their own accord, returning the hug, but she choked on her tongue. He was alive.

  He was alive, too.

  They really were both alive. Somehow.

  It made no sense. Not yet. But she’d worry about that later.

  “I was so worried!” Ben exclaimed. He grabbed her by the forearms, pulling back enough to look into her face. “What were you thinking? Letting the demons take you like that? They were going to kill you!”

  Gwen did her best to swallow past the lump in her throat. “I know,” she said. “But … but she threatened you. I had to.”

  Ben released her and dragged a hand through his hair. “Gwen, you can’t do that, okay? I don’t care what they threaten, there’s always gotta be another way.” He leveled a hard stare at her. “Promise me. Swear to me. Never do that again.”

  She opened her mouth, but it caught on the words and pain sliced through her at a wayward thought. What if she was hallucinating all of this? Knox sweeping her away to that cabin, coming home to Ben now? What if she’d just finally lost her mind?

  “Gwen?” Ben asked.

  Knox’s warmth at her side just barely preceded a hand at her shoulder. “Hey, you have a promise to make to your brother. Don’t leave us all hanging.”

  Suddenly, her heart was pounding in her ears and she felt as though the blood had rushed from her head. “I … I don’t know what’s real anymore.”

  “Oh no,” Jaelyn said, moving closer to their small makeshift circle again. “I didn’t notice right away.” She placed her palm on Gwen’s forehead and Gwen found the cool touch oddly comforting. Like a refreshing drink on a hot day.

  “Didn’t notice?” Ben repeated as Gwen’s eyes drooped reflexively.

  “Gwen,” Jaelyn said instead of responding directly to his question, “you don’t feel well, do you?”

  Swallowing the best she could, she asked, “Is it that obvious?”

  “Wait, what’s wrong with her?” Ben asked. Gwen heard the concern in his voice. It sounded so real. The whole thing felt real.

  “Sometimes our eyes deceive us.” It hadn’t been very long since Knox had said those words. Was he right? Were her eyes tricking her? Or had they been betraying her before? Was that what he’d meant?

  “Gwen, listen to me carefully,” Jaelyn said firmly. “You’ve been placed under an intricate curse. It seems like you’re still resisting it, but it’s got a foothold. I need to purge it from you before it takes control of your heart.”

  Gwen gaped up at her angelic friend. “I’ve … been … what?” Wouldn’t she know? “How, no, when? When did that even happen?”

  Knox settled a hand at the small of her back. “After you were abducted,” he said quietly. “Achan likely disguised the placement by finding a more excusable need for using his power. But you’d have had to be conscious for it.”

  Jaelyn’s gaze had flicked toward Knox, a question clearly forming, but something struck Gwen about what he’d said.

  “A-Achan?” She shifted, turning her attention to Knox. “Who is Achan?” Why did he throw that name, of all names, out at her?

  “He’s the demon who’s been pulling the strings,” Knox replied. “The one who’s been after you. The guy who held your original contract.”

  Gwen’s eyes widened and her stomach bottomed out. Achan. He’d shown her such kindness. Why hadn’t it occurred to her to be suspicious of that? “Am I going to be okay? Is this going to kill me?”

  “You’ll be fine,” Knox assured her. “It’s not too late.”

  Heart constricting as new waves of confusion rolled in, Gwen frowned back at him. “Why didn’t you say anything?” In all the time they’d spent in that cabin, he’d had the opportunity. The news of her curse obviously wasn’t a shock to him. Why, then?

  “I couldn’t,” Knox said, his expression—and his tone—softening. “Demon powers were
n’t going to push the curse out, so on my own, the only way to do it was to convince you to fight it yourself. Which meant not giving you extra cause to reflect on it in the first place.” He tilted his head briefly sideways. “An angel, on the other hand, can take a more proactive approach.”

  Gwen nodded, slowly, as she processed his words. That much, at least, made some sense.

  “You’ll feel a lot better once it’s gone,” Jaelyn offered. “Let’s move to the living room and you can lie down. This will take a little time.”

  “Speaking of Achan,” Knox asked as he followed Gwen and Ben to the suggested room, “how’d that go?”

  Jaelyn released an uncharacteristic sigh. “As well as you probably expect. His puppets crawled up from Hell and shielded him while the demoness cut him free of the shackles.”

  Knox cursed as Gwen took a seat on the sofa.

  Gwen frowned. “You captured him?”

  “We were trying to rescue you,” Ben explained. “And we got the asshole, but he had too much help.”

  “And now he’s back in the wind,” Knox said with a raised eyebrow.

  “Kai’s still looking,” Jaelyn replied. “In the meantime, this is the best we can do. We know he and Trix are still after Gwen.” She turned her attention back to Gwen, motioning her to lie down. “Get comfortable.”

  Complying on autopilot, Gwen looked past Jaelyn, to Knox, and muttered, “This déjà vu is going to kill me.”

  “That’s not even funny,” Ben declared, claiming a seat in his favorite chair.

  Knox only frowned, but Gwen got the distinct impression he echoed her brother’s sentiment.

  Realizing that was strange, actually. Gwen let her head land on the arm of the couch, her eyes staring, unseeing, at the ceiling. She didn’t sense any animosity in the room at all. The only tension revolved around her, around her disappearance, and apparently her latest curse. Ben and Knox weren’t so much as glaring at each other, let alone trying to kill each other. It was so different from before.