by Dakota Brown
"Okay, so you recharged my aura for me. I'm assuming it looks really strange right now." I shivered at the thought.
"Yes, to anyone who has the sight, it will be obvious you're mixing with demons. I'm sorry. The good news is, eventually your aura will mostly recover to its normal sapphire blue."
"S'okay, mate." I sighed, resigned. "Then you tightened all the bindings."
"I tightened your protections. The bindings are the same. If I did any more, it would be noticeable to you all the time and I don't think either of us want that."
"Right. And then you forced knowledge?"
"Yes. It will still take time to assimilate but you now know how to do a fair number of defensive and offensive spells and you will be able to speak and understand demonic. Of course, the spells are all from the abyss, so you will want to take the time to learn the earthly versions, as well, but you'll be protected."
"Wait, so I know demon magic."
"Yes."
"Can I do demon magic?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Chris..."
"Just tell me, Ezra."
"You can draw on demonic powers through the binding. Essentially, you are using my energy."
"That go both ways?"
"I..." Ezra stilled as if thinking. "I don't know, actually."
I buried my face in his jacket, inhaling his delicious cinnamon and campfire scent.
"I'm so not okay with this right now," I muttered.
He rubbed soothing circles on my back but didn't apologize.
"So, what's all this cost me."
"Nothing."
"Wait, what? I thought there was always a cost."
"You're mine. The rules that govern my interactions with humans no longer apply to you. Technically, the price was the binding."
I didn't even know what to say to that, so I just wilted in his arms until he was supporting quite a bit of my weight.
"Who attacked us?"
"I don't know. Probably a minion of whoever is involved in this power play. That is about the only way he could have taken me out that easily. He had a prepared spell, and it was also demon magic. Giving a non-demon a spell to use on me is highly against our rules, not that I think the others care."
"Cool, so demons don't play by their own rules. Shocking. Wait, didn't you essentially just do the same thing."
Ezra chuckled. "Yes. And no, demons don't care about following the rules unless they're forced to do so."
"Do you know who we're dealing with?"
The prince took a breath before he nodded. "Yes, partially. We're dealing with your old friend Lott, but I don't think he's the only one involved."
"Course we are," I muttered, too drained to feel anything but exhausted at the knowledge. "Lott has Sabian."
"Yes."
"Fuck." I wanted to be annoyed with Ezra for not telling me this sooner, but I just didn't have the energy. It really didn't change anything except that I was a little more worried about our ability to get him back than I had been.
"Is he okay?"
"Sabian is likely very unhappy, but probably physically unharmed."
"You sure?"
"As sure as I can be, Chris. I have some sense of all of the demons under my control if I focus on them. So far Sabian seems unharmed. That is all I know."
I curled my fingers into Ezra's shirt, tears leaking from my eyes.
"You really do love him, don't you," Ezra said quietly, sounding surprised.
"I...Uh, yeah, I guess I do."
Ezra caressed my back, trying to soothe away some of my pain. "Let's get some rest. We can talk in the morning. We'll get him back. Once Sabian is safe, the ones responsible will pay."
"Okay. Are we safe?"
He kissed my forehead. "Yes, and Mayhem will guard us."
"Please tell me the first meeting isn't at eight in the morning?" I groaned, not pointing out that Ezra had thought we were safe before. Right now, I was willing to go off of the surety in his voice. He thought we were safe, and Mayhem was on guard. That was going to have to be good enough.
"No."
"Thank God."
Ezra chuckled. "I guarantee you she has nothing to do with this."
He jerked me back into my body and I was aware just long enough to notice I was curled up in Ezra's arms, before I passed the fuck out.
Chapter 9
Price
I woke up the next morning staring at the same ceiling I'd been looking at when I passed out the night before, curled up in Ezra's arms. The demon's leg was a heavy weight across my thighs, and his arm was wrapped around my stomach, as if he'd basically passed out after using all his energy.
Mayhem was pressed up against the other side of me, eyes open, staring intently at the door. On guard. What a good boy.
Sandwiched between the dog and the demon, I was warm. It was just a little strange to wake up on a hotel room floor, no matter how nice the hotel.
Ezra's breathing changed and he sucked in a breath, startling awake. I turned my head to meet his gaze, losing myself in him for a moment.
He hesitantly brushed some hair off my forehead before running his fingers over the shorter hair on the side of my head. My breath caught when he traced his fingers around my ear and down my neck.
"Are you okay?" he asked after a moment.
"I think so. You?"
He nodded, though his expression was strained.
"You look like you're worried I'm going to stab you or something."
The snark broke through some of his pensive mood and brought a smile to his lips. He traced his fingers back up my neck.
"Maybe a little," Ezra admitted.
I grinned at him. "I'm not usually a first thing in the morning stabber. Gotta work up to that."
Ezra's smile broadened into a grin. "I have never woken up with someone in my arms before, outside of when I possessed you. Which is not the same," he confessed. "The danger of ending up with someone who is into murdering their partners is exceptionally high on the demonic plane."
I raised my eyebrows. "Oh." I glanced around myself again before looking back at Ezra, smirking slightly. "I'm sorry your first time had to be on a hotel room floor."
That startled a laugh out of him. "You may be converting me to the ways of cuddling, my dear exorcist. As ironic as that is."
"I'm not into morning exorcisms, either. Gotta have some caffeine for that shit." I winked and Ezra finally relaxed.
"Probably just as well."
Shifting slightly, I reached over and ran my fingers through his soft curls. His eyes widened but he didn't object, and I played with his hair until I traced my way to the base of one of his horns. They were still hidden by glamor, but I could feel them, as I'd expected.
He had stilled his gentle caresses along my neck when I'd threaded my fingers through his hair, resting his hand on my shoulder. His fingers tightened when I gently ran my fingers up the soft ridges of his horns. Ezra sucked in a breath and went still, shutting his eyes.
"Okay?"
He hesitated before answering. "Yes."
"You're sure?"
"It's not a place I'm used to being touched. They're very sensitive when I'm aroused."
"I was under the impression you're not used to being touched much at all," I replied gently.
"No. Not really. Go ahead," he answered quietly.
I was surprised at the vulnerability Ezra displayed. Resuming my gentle caress along the smooth ridges, I watched Ezra's reactions.
He was barely breathing, not at all relaxed, but not objecting.
I rolled over and pressed my lips to his. He opened his eyes, curled his arm around me and pulled me tight, devouring me with his kiss. Clearly, he was a lot more comfortable with kissing. I resumed gently stroking his horns, and this time he was more relaxed, kissing me while I touched.
He rumbled in pleasure, giving in to the experience, trusting me again. I was pressed against him, as tightly as we could manage, and I could tell he was happy to h
ave me there. Unfortunately, I was starting to become painfully aware that I still had a human body, and it had been a really long time since I'd last visited the bathroom. Damn it.
Ezra must have sensed my hesitation because he broke off our kiss and tilted his head. "What's wrong?" He looked concerned again.
"Uh, just, fuck. I've gotta pee," I admitted. "Damn human body."
Ezra's lips curled back into a smile. "Probably should take care of that."
"Yeah, sorry. Maybe we can move this to the bed, too. Looked awfully comfortable. How long do we have before we have to be somewhere, anyway?"
"We have a couple of hours."
I grinned. "Good." I reluctantly untangled myself from the demon prince. I hadn't noticed, but at some point Mayhem had gone and placed himself in front of the door. He was still in hellhound form.
As I headed to my bedroom, I became aware of other discomforts. Sleeping on the floor wasn't as easy as it used to be, and I'd gone to bed drenched in sweat. I stank.
"Ugh."
Ezra had gone into his bedroom.
"I'm going to take a quick shower," I said, hoping he'd either hear me or overhear my thoughts. "Join me here in a few minutes."
At that, I stripped off my dirty clothes and made for the bathroom. It wouldn't exactly hurt to brush my teeth, either.
I took the worlds quickest hot shower and freshened up some, then I wrapped my towel around myself and headed back out into my room.
Ezra sat on my bed, one leg pulled up so that he could rest his chin on his knee. His hair was damp, and he wore clean clothing. One of his silky shirts and slacks. He didn't have shoes on, but he was wearing socks. Had he thought I was changing my mind? He was even wearing a belt.
"I didn't want to presume," he said, looking nervous again.
I blinked a few times, then dropped the towel.
Ezra stared, mouth opening, as if he were going to say something then forgot what.
He scooted back on the bed a little and put his foot down as I stalked forward. I straddled his thighs, buried my fingers in his hair, and pulled his mouth to mine.
Ezra grabbed my hips, fingers burning into my skin pleasantly.
I let him have control of my mouth while I took control of his horns, gently caressing both of them.
He shuddered, turning to putty in my hands as I explored their smooth lengths. I had to take over our kiss as the demon prince went positively submissive at my touch.
That gave me an idea. I doubted he was used to surrendering and I wondered how far he would let me take it. He wasn't used to this kind of intimacy, though I had no doubt he'd had sex before, so I wouldn't push him too much, but so far he wasn't objecting to me taking control.
Slowly, I trailed my fingers through his hair and down his shoulders, tracing along his skin until I found his shirt. Then I fumbled with the buttons while I sucked on his lower lip.
Ezra trailed hot lines of sensual fire up my back with his fingertips and I moaned while his tongue explored my mouth. I finally managed to get a few of the buttons undone and had to shift back so I could get the rest. Ezra loosened his grip. Once his shirt was open, I pushed it off his shoulders before bringing my hands back down over his chest. He was muscular, but not nearly as defined as either Mal or Aaron, or even Sabian. Though Sabian's appearance was far more mutable, I supposed.
He also had a bit of soft hair on his chest that I traced with my fingers.
"Chris?"
"Hmm?"
"Don't human women have the same color hair on top as well as below?" He was staring at the dark patch of hair that shielded my pussy.
I looked up at him, trying to decide if he was serious or not. Yeah, okay, he was.
"Uh, mate, I bleach my hair. It's not my natural hair color."
He blinked, eyes jerking up to the hair on my head. I was actually in need of redoing the bleach job, I just hadn't had time recently. Demons and all.
"Oh. Right." He frowned. "Clearly not natural. What was I thinking?"
To save him any further embarrassment, I shoved him backward on the bed and crawled up his body.
"Maybe you should take a closer look," I said firmly, almost a command. His eyes widened as if he hadn't expected me to take control, especially not like this, but he didn't object when I crawled forward until my pussy was right in his face.
He took a deep breath and groaned softly, before grabbing my hips and pulling me into position.
I twitched with the sensation as his tongue lapped over my slit.
"That's right, make sure you're completely familiar with what color my hair is," I mock grumbled at him.
Ezra may not be an expert on human hair, but he certainly knew his way around female anatomy, and pretty soon I was supporting myself against the headboard, panting, thighs trembling and trying not to collapse on his face as he worked my clit with his tongue.
I braced one hand on the headboard, and lowered the other to his hair, at first simply grabbing on as if I were controlling his head, but then I decided to play with his horns instead.
Ezra gasped, losing his rhythm, rumbling deep in his throat. At least this time he hadn't tensed up. I kept stroking, and after a moment he went back to work on my clit, though his hands on my hips tightened almost painfully.
He added his fingers to the mix, pushing into me, and I came undone all over his face. I might have cried out his name as I lost control of my body. He held me up, finger fucking me through my orgasm, tongue still working on my clit. It was almost too much, maybe a little revenge for ordering him around, I wasn't sure.
When I could finally see straight again, he had moved me to lay next to him on the bed.
His face was wet, really wet, from my juices. I didn't mind some, but that was a bit too much, and I wanted to kiss him again.
"Right, now wipe your face, get your pants off and come here and fuck me proper."
Ezra's eyebrows lifted, but he did what I commanded, taking his once clean shirt and wiping off his face, before he slowly teased the end of his belt out of the buckle.
I groaned, watching him, squirming, never very patient to get what I wanted. He knew, and he teased me as he slowly undid the top button on his pants.
"Fucker," I muttered, while I secretly enjoyed the tease. Well, he could read my mind, so he probably knew I was enjoying it.
He finally slid out of his pants and I licked my lips in anticipation before cocking a finger and gesturing for him to join me.
"Are all demons well endowed, or did I just get lucky with you and Sabian."
Ezra grinned. "While I have not made an extensive study of male demon genitalia, I believe we vary as much as humans do. Sabian, need I remind you, is a shape shifter. He can be anything his partner desires."
"Right. Well, come here and show me what you can do with that nice sized cock of yours."
"As you wish," he whispered, inadvertently quoting a really excellent movie.
He paused, frowning at me, before shaking his head in amusement. He positioned himself over me and I spread my knees and tilted my hips. Ezra paused for a moment, meeting my eyes, before slamming into me. The slight distraction fled from my thoughts as he claimed my lips.
I wrapped my legs around him, almost losing myself again when he applied his fingers to the task of making me come once more.
Ezra thrust into me, and I cried out his name, panting as delicious pressure built in my core. I tried to ignore the feelings he was stirring in me. I was not going to fall for a demon prince. It was an even worse idea than fucking one. But everything he'd done since we'd met had been done with my best interest in mind, even if I didn't like how he'd done things. I didn't understand it, but somehow he was working his way into my heart, and I got the idea I'd gained some sort of foothold in his. At the very least, there was no way he'd put up with me otherwise.
"Don't…sell yourself…short…" he panted as he brought me to the brink again.
"That's an awful lot like cheating," I manage
d to gasp out between small cries of pleasure in protest of him reading my mind.
"I'm a demon. It's part of the job description." He hooked my leg up over his shoulder, changing the angle, deepening his thrusts. I shattered, crying out as pleasurable heat rippled through me.
Moments later, Ezra stiffened, groaning softly as he reached his own climax. He stilled, leaning over me, both of us to overstimulated to move without it being too much.
After a short time when we could both move again, he slid out of me and lay down next to me, hesitantly offering me his arm.
I curled up into his embrace, tucking myself along his warm body and soaking in that heat. He held me, his hand gently brushing along the skin of my shoulder.
"Yes, I think you might have converted me into someone who likes touching, and cuddles. At least with you," he admitted after we were quiet for a while.
"Good. It's a requirement to be with me."
Ezra chuckled. "I noticed."
"Ezra?"
"Yes, my exorcist?"
"You're a contradiction."
"Probably," he agreed. "What part of me is bothering you?"
"Not bothered," I replied. "Just confused. You're obviously no stranger to sex, but you seemed really surprised when I touched your horns." Unable to resist, I reached up and ran my fingers along one of them.
He shuddered but stilled my arm with his hand when I went to pull away so I kept up a light stroking motion, able to hear his heartrate speed from where my head lay on his chest.
"You don't like touching, but you seem to enjoy intimacy."
"Ahh." This time he did still my hand. "I won't be coherent for much longer if you keep that up. Which is fine, but it will delay your answers." He kissed my forehead.
"Sorry."
"Don't apologize. Like I said, they're sensitive when I'm aroused. I suppose the answer to your question is, one, I'm not an incubus, so I'm not naturally inclined to any sort of sensuality like Sabian is. Two, sex amongst demons is akin to sex for Earth's Praying Mantises. Except the demon males have a slightly better chance of survival. Demons, again, outside of lust demons, typically only mate for reproduction, and even that's not especially common. The female chooses a male, typically one that will offer her spawn some sort of advantage, and initiates a demand for mating. Usually, the male complies and then it's more like a fight to see if he can survive the process. If he doesn't please the female appropriately, he'll not enjoy the experience if he survives. If he can manage to subdue her before mating, he's more likely to have a chance at siring more offspring in the future. Never would we let someone lay with us after."
