His relief evaporated.
“I’m going to need something else from you as well.”
He ground his teeth. “What?”
She returned to her throne, revealing that the back of her dress contained only one long strip of leather down her spine barely wide enough to conceal her ass. He vaguely wondered if all the straps dug into her skin when she was sitting down, but the way she lounged gave no indication of discomfort. Rather, she looked like she was sinking into a hot bath.
“I want you to kiss her.”
Raum blinked. Looked around. His eyes landed on Sunshine, cloak pulled so far over her face it was obscured completely. Surely Naiamah didn’t mean…
“Yes, her.”
He turned back to the throne to stare in shock.
“I’m a succubus, sweetheart. I feed off sexual energy. And right now, your lust for her is so strong, it’s making my head spin.”
Raum curled his hands into fists, claws digging into his palms.Fucking great.This was just what he needed. A dose of humiliation on top of the rest of this shit-heap night.
“And her lust for you…” Naiamah made a kissing sound at her pinched thumb and forefinger. “So delicious and sweet. So…pure.”
He glanced sharply at the cloaked figure beside him. Sunshine had lust for him? No, Naiamah was lying. Angels didn’t experience lust, and certainly not for demons.
But why would she lie? What did she stand to gain from it?
The Queen of Hell’s eyes flashed. “I can get you two amulets to sneak past Murmur’s boundary wards. Once activated, the spells have a lifespan of three hours, so keep that in mind. They will activate as soon as they’re set against bare skin, so keep them wrapped until you’re ready to use them.
“I’ll also throw in, as a bonus for your cooperation,nottelling Murmur that you’re coming to sneak into his territory. That one’s free.” She flashed a wicked grin. “All you have to do is leave behind that nice baggie of treasure…and kiss her so I can watch. You want each other, and I want to see it.”
They didn’t have a choice, did they? Sunshine had told him that getting the book was the most important thing to her, and if that meant kissing a demon, he was pretty sure she’d do it.
Plus, Naiamah had accurately guessed that they were targeting Murmur. If they didn’t give her what she wanted, he wouldn’t put it past her to tell Murmur just to spite them.
Raum turned to his silent companion, hating the way his blood heated with anticipation. Hating the way a part of him secretly rejoiced at getting to experience something he’d wanted more of since their interaction at the nightclub.
The worst part was, it didn’t matter if she wanted him back, because he still wanted her. Whether or not Naiamah was lying about Sunshine’s lust, she sure as hell hadn’t lied about his.
He stepped closer to her, peering into the shadows of her hood as she tilted her face up. And there she was. Her eyes—those big expressive eyes—were wide and sparkling with something unnamed. Her lips… He really wanted to kiss her. Damn Naiamah for putting him in this position.
“Okay?” he asked, though what he really wanted to do was grab Sunshine and crush his mouth to hers like they were the last people alive and the world was ending.
She nodded, but her eyes got even bigger. His gaze flipped to her lips, and she licked them. Did she have any idea how hot that was?
“Oh, this is perfect,” Naiamah purred from her throne, wriggling excitedly.
That succeeded in reminding him… This wasn’t some romantic fucking kiss. This was business. Lust or no lust, Sunshine wouldn’t have kissed him under normal circumstances, and he sure as hell wouldn’t have kissed her. Not when she was blackmailing him by threatening to kill his family.
Just business, he told himself, wondering if there was any part of him that believed that.
He wrapped a hand around the back of her neck over her hood, careful to keep her face hidden. She felt small and delicate, and the urge to clench his fingers, to dig his claws into her and force her head back, was strong.
Fingers tightening, he leaned down. She was still watching him with those big dark eyes, and he wished he knew what she was thinking. Her face was normally so expressive, but he couldn’t read it now. Or maybe he was just blinded, his own emotions obscuring his ability to decipher hers.
Sunshine’s gaze flicked to his mouth, and her lips parted. Involuntarily, he licked his own just like she had. The breath left her on a quiet exhale.
He couldn’t take it anymore. He leaned down and kissed her.
Her lips were full and soft and slightly wet from her saliva. When he pressed harder into her, they parted, and her hot breath gusted into his mouth.
