“I also wanted to ask you…” Lily glanced at the looming, gray-skinned demon beside her, “Mist told me you knew how to remove his brands. Would you still be willing…?”
“Yes, of course,” Sunshine replied. “Whenever you wish.”
“Oh, thank you. I can’t tell you how much that means to us.”
“Not yet,” Mist said.
“What?” Lily turned to him. “Why not?”
“What if we face trouble while we’re traveling? You’ll need to summon me.”
“You’ve been trying to get rid of those brands for thousands of years, Mist!”
“Which is why there’s no rush to remove them now.”
“But—” She shook her head. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Mist trailed the backs of his claws down her arm, and she softened with a smile.
Eventually, the sun set and the air cooled enough that they decided to head inside. Sunshine was getting antsy to show Raum her surprise, but she also didn’t want to leave early.
Eva and Ash went to the basement in search of a suitable music room while Bel reluctantly agreed to show Lily and Mist the vacant bedrooms. Sunshine cleared the table with the help of Raum, Meph, and Iris. Luna and Faust stayed outside.
There were quite a few things to bring in and they took shifts. As Sunshine set her second load of dishes in the sink, she felt Raum come up behind her and smiled.
His big body surrounded her with heat as he pushed her up against the counter from behind, and her skin instantly came alive with sensation. He braced his hands on the countertop on either side and leaned down to nuzzle her neck.
“I want you.” Tingles erupted along her neck at the sensation of his breath against her ear.
“Raum,” she warned, but she sounded too breathless to be convincing.
“I waited all day.” He pressed his hips forward against her ass, and she felt the unmistakable ridge of his arousal. The tingles in her neck traveled down her spine in a rush of heat.
“Everyone’s still here. Meph and Iris will be back with more dishes any minute.”
Gripping her hips, he tugged her away from the counter far enough to reach around and slide a hand inside her loose cotton pants. Another hand traveled up the inside of her shirt to cup her breast. Dexterous fingers teased down to her core, which was growing wet quite rapidly.
And then he shifted his hand into demon form, and she feltclaws.
Her heart jumped and she suddenly couldn’t draw a breath. “Raum!”
Ever so gently, he trailed a claw across her core over her underwear, and she gasped.Oh, he is bad.
A door slammed and voices echoed down the hallway, and they tensed. Well, Sunshine tensed. Raum just stroked her again, making her shudder.
She shifted, but he kept a tight grip on her hip with his other hand. “Raum—”
“Don’t move,” he growled in her ear.
Immediately, she stilled.
“Good girl.” His low praise made her shiver. This was a game they both loved to play.
The voices came closer until she could hear Iris speaking.
“Suyin’s being paranoid. I keep telling her there’s nothing to worry about, but she doesn’t believe me. Says she’s having weird dreams every night. I wish I could explain why I’m so sure we’re safe, but we both know I can’t…”
Sunshine’s heart leapt. The last thing she wanted was anyone to find her like this, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to disobey Raum’s demand.
