Chapter 14. Lex
After Lochran’s hazing, my family accepted him with open arms. I hadn’t expected to feel so... pleased. But when we all finally sat down, it was like Lochran had always been part of the family. Aside from Lochran taking a few cautious glances at my father, the conversation flowed seamlessly, both Dad and Granda eager to hear news of what had changed in the shadow realm since they’d been summoned.
As it turned out, not a lot.
It sounded like a rather dreary place, and, without saying it outright, Lochran seemed incredibly happy to have finally been summoned away from it permanently.
The topic of the upcoming trial was skirted around. Jake mentioned it once, and the room immediately swirled with shadows from all three incubus demons.
It wasn’t until Grandma clacked her cane on the floor that the shadows finally dissipated. The subject was only touched upon after that. Grandma coaxed out of me that I’d managed to complete twenty of the pages. Technically forty, I guessed, as it was front and back.
She asked how I was faring without my magic, and I realized I hadn’t really missed it at all. The house—devious though it might be—had catered for pretty much everything I’d needed. And Lochran had done the rest.
It was quite a blissful set up, truth be told.
I wondered if I could keep the house permanently after the trial. I thought back to my apartment in Sacramento. It was just walls and a view. But my crooked house here felt like home. I didn’t want to go back to that life. Aside from Billy, there was nothing for me in Sacramento.
But here I had my family. My house.
My mate.
My mate, who was quizzing my granda on his favorite bands, asking my mom for tips on convincing our house to let him do some minor DIY, and who stared down my brother after I winced as he chewed with his mouth open.
No... I couldn’t picture a life without him now.
It was the single thought on my mind throughout the rest of dinner. It was what I was thinking when I hugged my family goodbye and what played on my mind as we walked in comfortable silence toward our home.
Well... only for the first minute or so.
Then my thoughts were filled with how beautiful Lochran looked in the lilac glow of the witchlight. How it matched his irises and caught on every bulge of muscle. I had a perfectly curated plan for how I would take the physical aspect of our relationship to the next level laid out. I’d mentally rehearsed a speech and everything. The plan was to get home and change into my pajamas—the tight tank top and sweatpant set that made his neck pulse—and ask him if we could move on to touching. I was ready for that. More than ready. My panties were so damp right now I was surprised that Lochran’s nostrils hadn’t flared at the scent of my desire in the air.
I cast a glance at him. He was strolling with his hands in his jean pockets, a goofy smile on his face like he didn’t have a care in the world. He definitely wasn’t feeding from me right now.
Which, surprisingly, disappointed me. Especially because my succubus side was quivering inside me, desperate for release.
My eyes darted to the tree line. Thoughts of Lochran pinning me against a tree as he hitched up my skirt sent a jolt to my core. Heat flushed in my cheeks as my eyes drifted to Lochran and...
... nothing.
It was like he was oblivious to my desires.
I ground my teeth, mentally trying to push the image of him rutting me against a tree to the part of him that should be able to see exactly what desires a person had.
Nothing .
I rolled my eyes. Maybe I needed to be a little bit more obvious.
“Hey, Lochran?”
Lochran looked down at me, his grin wide and dreamy. “Yes, Lex?”
“Um... want to take a quick... detour ?” I asked, hoping he’d catch on to my obvious innuendo as I glanced at the tree line.
He did not.
“If you want to,” he replied, his tone as innocent as a mooncalf.
What was up with him this evening?
Blowing out an exasperated breath, I veered into the trees, Lochran in tow. After a few moments, I found a clearing illuminated just enough by the moonlight that I could make out Lochran’s expression turn into a look of confusion as I pressed my back against a tree.
My mate was a sex demon, for Hecate’s sake. What did he think I wanted from him by guiding him into the woods?
I stole a glance at his crotch. Not even a boner. Had he jerked off that much this morning that he’d broken his sex drive?
My tongue clicked against the roof of my mouth as I searched for the words I wanted to say, before settling on, “Is everything okay?”
His eyebrow cocked in confusion. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I’ve just... been thinking...” C’mon, Lex! Remember the speech! “...if you wanted to, we could maybe... go a bit further?”
Lochran’s lips pursed as he glanced around him. “I mean, we can, if you want to. But I’m terrible at directions, so I’d be relying on you to get us back to the path.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Finally, I said, “Has something happened? You don’t seem to be, um...” I struggled to find the right words that would be both sympathetic, in case he had, like, hit his head or something, and frustrated, in case he really had jerked himself off into a state of perpetual obliviousness. “... reacting to me as you usually would.”
Realization finally dawned on Lochran. His lip quirked into a wicked grin, his bottom lip catching on his broke canine. He took a step forward, and my heart skipped a beat. His voice was practically a purr as he said, “Has my little witch been having sinful thoughts? Has she lured me into the woods to have her wicked way with me?”
“Maybe” was all I managed. My mouth had suddenly become dry, all the moisture in my body seemingly being syphoned to between my legs.
“I dampened my senses, Lex.” His voice was low and guttural. “I thought it would be best when we weren’t on our own. But if your thoughts are as wicked as I think they are, you’re going to have to set your boundaries now, my little witch.” Lochran took another step, placing a hand on the tree above me. He loomed over me, blocking out the moon, shadows swirling around us. “Because once I release my incubus side, I won’t have time for questions.”
“Touching!” I blurted out. Touching was what the plan was... but the way his chest heaved in anticipation had me picturing him turning me around and pressing my chest against the tree as he pushed my dress up, his shadow talons shredding my panties before running through my folds and realizing how wet I was for him. The thought of him sheathing himself in me in one smooth, claiming movement—
“Fuck, Lex,” Lochran groaned. His arm quivered above me as the sound of wood splintering filled my ears. I glanced up to see his shadow talons embedded in the bark. “Your wicked thoughts will be the death of me.”
Lochran took a deep, steadying breath before raising his free hand to my face, a long finger hovering within reach of my cheek. “Just touching.”
I couldn’t tell if it was a question or a reminder to himself. In answer, I pressed my cheek to his finger. His touch was electric, sending a spark so powerful to my core that I let out an unconscious moan.
Lochran’s finger traced lightly over my cheek and down my neck. “When you first came down the stairs”—his fingers slipped under my cardigan—“and this was draped off one shoulder”—he pushed the cardigan off said shoulder, the material pooling in my elbow—“I thought you were the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen in my life.”
Naw.
“Now show me where you’re aching to be touched, my wicked little witch.”
My succubus roared inside me as I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and guided his hand to between my legs.
Lochran hitched a breath as his finger glided over the damp material of my panties. “You’ve been drenched for days, Lex.” His voice was a low grumble, his lips so close to my neck that every syllable sent a spark to my very core. My body rolled in tandem with his strokes, a silent beg for more.
“I should tease you, my little witch. I should draw this out until you beg me for your release.”
“ Please .”
Well, that didn’t take long.
Lochran’s laugh was a low, possessive grumble as his finger looped underneath the hem of my panties. “I love that you’re so ready for me,” he said as his finger circled my entrance. He pushed the tip of his finger inside me, and— fuck —I wasn’t going to last long.
My voice was nearly a whimper as I begged, “ More. ”
Lochran stroked inside me just the once, slowly feeling every contour of me, before adding a second finger. The stretch was incredible .
I barely noticed that he’d brought his head down to my ear until his hot breath brushed over me. “I’m going to make you come as quickly as you made me, my little witch.”
With that, he plunged his fingers deep inside me, his thumb rolling over my clit with every quick, powerful thrust of his hands. The tip of his tongue flicked at my ear before gliding down my neck. Heat pooled in my core, and I barely had the sense to realize that his tongue was inhumanly long as it licked up the length of my neck.
The image of his long tongue pulsing inside me had a fresh wave of dampness coating my mate’s hand, and he growled in pleasure.
Fuck.
My mate was making good on his promise to make me come as quickly as he had last night.
The sound of wood splintering barely registered as Lochran racked his claws through the bark above my head. Suddenly, his arm was under me, lifting me off my feet, pushing me higher up the tree and—
Deeper .
He could thrust his fingers inside me sinfully deep at this angle.
“You like it quick, don’t you? I saw the flash of desire, the way you wanted me to rut you. To pin you against the tree and claim you—”
“Lochran!” I cried out.
“Come for me, witch.” Lochran’s fingers curled inside me, stroking that glorious spot as his thumb rolled over my clit. On my mate’s command, I came. Hard .
My orgasm was so powerful that I only barely remembered Lochran licking his fingers clean before he pulled me against his chest, spread his shadow wings, and flew us home.
Yup, I came so hard that I didn’t even have the mental capacity to be awestruck that my mate’s shadow wings weren’t just for show. He could actually fly.