“I guess your rules don’t extend to the furthest realms of Hell,” Joriel said with a bitter laugh.
Asmodeus shook his head. “Whatever you think happened, there are lines that are not crossed. Rape is not tolerated in any circle of Hell.”
“I was there, asshole. I know what happened.”
Every muscle in my body went very still. I’d never heard Joriel talk about what he went through in the prison realm. I’d made some assumptions, but he’d never told me anything specific.
“You know what youthoughthappened,” Asmodeus said. “Lesser demons can spin very realistic visions, especially when the body is weak. Believe me, you were never raped. Your virginity is still very much intact.” He shot a glance at me. “Go on and ask your girl if I’m lying.”
Joriel looked to me, his eyes pleading, though I wasn’t sure what he was pleading for. Was there really a difference between being violated and being made to believe you were?
“He’s not lying,” I whispered.
Emotion churned in Joriel’s irises, but he kept the rest of his face unreadable. He’d locked his jaw, holding back whatever he was feeling.
I wanted to hold him, to take away his pain, and I knew I could, but his mind had been messed with enough. How many times had I already soothed his emotions or used visions on him when we trained in fighting or just to prove a point?
“Jor,” I breathed when I couldn’t stand the silence any longer.
He shook his head. “I’m sorry.” Then he turned and headed back into the crowd on the open dance floor.
I glanced at Asmodeus for half a second before running after him. I didn’t care what game the Prince of Lust was playing or how badly we were losing right now. I needed to be with Joriel more than I needed anything else at the moment. We were in this together no matter what we faced. His suffering was mine.
I ran into Roth as I made my way through the sea of dancers, literally crashing into his bare chest.
“Oh hell,” I muttered.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I need to find Joriel. Sorry for crashing into you.”
“Laila—”
“I really can’t talk right now,” I said, already pushing past him.
I heard his footsteps following behind me, but I ignored him. I’d deal with whatever he wanted to tell me later.
I found Joriel near the entrance to a dark hallway lined with curtained-off alcoves. I reached for his hand, wrapping my fingers around his and squeezing.
“What do you need?” I asked.
He glanced around before tugging on our joined hands, pulling me toward an empty alcove.
“You really don’t want to go there,” Roth started, but Joriel ignored him as he drew me inside the alcove and pulled the curtain shut behind us.
I felt it a second later, a sudden rush of desire so strong it was impossible to think about anything else. I needed Joriel to touch me, taste me, or I was going to combust. Heat pooled between my legs, and the scent of my arousal permeated the air.
Joriel’s eyes darkened, and he stalked toward me. He stopped close enough that my breasts brushed against his chest with every heaving breath I took. His hands landed on my bare hipbones, just above the waistband of my pants, and he backed me to the settee that took up most of the alcove. His fingers slid up my sides, and a trail of goose bumps rose in their wake despite the fact that my skin felt like it was on fire.
He lowered his lips to my shoulder, ghosting a kiss right over the mostly faded bruise he’d left there last week.
A shudder ran through me as pleasure and need rocketed through my body. “Please, Jor.” I wasn’t above begging at this point. I needed him to soothe the flames licking through my veins.
I felt his smile against my neck. He placed one last kiss there before pulling back. His eyes raked over me like I was a feast and he was trying to decide which part to devour first. Lowering his head to my chest, he pressed an openmouthed kiss over one breast, sucking on my nipple through the thin fabric of my shirt. Each pull echoed in my core. I rocked my hips, searching for some kind of relief, but it was useless. He was too far away, and his hands were holding me firmly in place while he feasted on my breasts.
My head fell back and I moaned, half in pleasure and half in frustration.
Joriel’s lips traveled lower as he dropped to his knees, his tongue darting out to flick the skin right above my waistband. I squirmed, and he chuckled against my stomach.
