“They broke the rules. That is the consequence. Convincing myself of that was the only consolation I had. And now that I’ve broken the rules myself, now that I am seeing things from the other side… I cannot return to my old life. I would rather die.”
“Mist. Stop.” She went to him then, grasping his arm, beseeching him to look at her. To connect instead of getting lost in that dark place he was falling into. “We’ll find a way to get rid of the brands. We won’t stop trying.”
“There’s no time.”
That haunted, hopeless look in his eyes as he finally met her gaze gutted her. Tears sprang into hers, and her throat constricted, but she fought back the urge to cry. She had to stay strong for him.
“We’ll use whatever we have looking for a solution. We won’t waste a second. Just don’t tell me you’re giving up, okay? Please, just… I need to know you have hope.”
He studied her for a long time, and she stared right back, silently begging him to give her what she asked for.
When he spoke, it was quiet. “I will have hope for your sake. If I’m gone, there will be no one to protect you. That is worth fighting for.”
There was no way he understood his selflessness. He was just speaking his mind, and that made it so much more meaningful.
“Because I’m yours, right?” Maybe, if she could get him to go all growly and possessive like last night, he would keep his hope. If he had her, then he wouldn’t feel alone.
But truthfully, she needed to find some hope of her own. She had no clue how to get rid of demon slave brands. She hadn’t even known such a thing existed.
“So I’m not yours?” she said when he didn’t respond. If he wasn’t jumping at the chance to growl, ‘Mine,’ at her again, then her work wasn’t done yet.
Still, he said nothing.
“Is it because you’re leaving?” She refused to mention death because that simply wasn’t an option. “I’m not yours because this is just temporary?”
His eyes narrowed to angry yellow slits.
Okay, so maybe she was pushing him a little, but she couldn’t help it. She needed a reaction.
“So if I’m not yours, and you’re leaving, I guess that means I’m free to find another demon to cl— Eep!”
One second she was provoking him, and the next, he had scooped her up and slammed her back against the wall.
“Mine!” he snarled. “You’re mine, and if you try to escape, I will hunt you, and I will kill anyone who touches you.”
His mouth descended on hers with merciless determination, and she melted. His possessive words set her blood on fire. Iris would have lost her mind if a man said something like that to her, but Lily… she wanted to be claimed by him. She wanted to surrender. She wanted to be his.
His long tongue slid into her mouth. Moaning, her hips rolled, seeking his, her core suddenly so empty it ached.
Last night, she’d felt it was too soon to go all the way, but suddenly, there wasn’t time to wait. The future was uncertain. Everything seemed so fragile. At any moment their perfect peace could shatter, and everything would fall apart. She wasn’t wasting a second.
She reached around, fumbling with the laces on his pants. “Mist…” She could feel his thick erection through the fabric, and it was distracting, to say the least. “Want you.”
He growled, balancing her weight with one arm—one arm!—and sliding her nightie up with the other. She hadn’t bothered to put on underwear, and thank god for that.
She got the waistband of his pants loose and yanked the front open. As she stroked him, he moaned against her lips, and a wave of arousal flooded between her thighs at the sound.
She squirmed impatiently as he carefully maneuvered her nightie up. “Just rip it.” Since telling him she’d sewed it, he was treating it like glass. She’d changed her mind about preserving it, however. Being naked was her new top priority.
“Rip it off with your claws.” Did she pant a little when she said that? She couldn’t help it. It was sexy when he’d done that to her underwear.
He didn’t, sadly. He set her on her feet, and she protested loudly. He ignored her groaning, pulling the nightie over her head. She lifted her arms to aid him, still grumbling, until suddenly she was naked and back in his arms. Her complaints died quickly when he kissed her again and she felt his hard shaft sliding against her drenched core. But he didn’t penetrate her.
She wiggled, trying to get in the right position to take him inside. Somewhere in her mind, she remembered they didn’t need to worry about protection since demons couldn’t procreate—a good thing, because she didn’t think she could stop for anything.
Screw foreplay. Need him now.She couldn’t wait another second. “Want you inside.”
“Lily…” It was a pained growl, and she wasn’t sure what he was waiting for.
