Chapter 10
I lean against the headboard of our bed in The Above, watching as my wife gets dressed. Her magical closet enables her to change her clothes on a whim. She loves it and always looks amazing. Of course, I prefer her naked, but her curvy little body looks good in anything she wears.
“We’re really going out?” Penelope asks excitedly, sliding blue pants up her firm thighs. Her face radiates happiness, and I can”t help but absorb some of that happiness.
“Yes, my love. We’re shopping on Main Street to see if there’s anything you can’t live without, then I”ll take you to the zoo and the cinema this evening.” I could conjure up whatever her heart desires, but my wife needs to be around people. “I know you need to see something besides this house and our house in The Below.”
Penelope squeals with excitement, quickly picking out a blouse and buttoning it. I like how she always wears tops with buttons. I fucking love parting the panels of a button-up shirt to reveal her succulent breasts. My cock hardens, but before my mind wanders down that path, I get up and slide into jeans and a black T-shirt.
I promised Penelope we would go out, but if I keep thinking about popping those buttons, we”ll never make it out of the bedroom. She braids her hair and slips her feet into a pair of fuck-me heels. Yeah, we need to go before I strip her and take her wearing only those heels.
My driver drops us off on the street lined with tiny shops and an ice cream parlor. Penelope makes her way directly to the ice cream parlor and orders a butter pecan cone glazed with chocolate. I order a mint chocolate chip cone and we”re soon gazing into shop windows, our hands linked as our conversation flows easily.
I watch my wife, enjoying how her eyes brighten as she sees a baby cradled in its mother’s arms. It suddenly hits me how much of life she’s missed out on. How was it that I felt nothing for all those years, knowing her father closeted her away from the world, voraciously guarding her from anything that might have negatively impacted her purity? When Forest Truman entered my chamber that fateful day, I thought it was interesting that the man was prepared to deny his unborn daughter the joy of a full life to serve his greedy agenda.
I finally understand how much she’s missed, why she needs to venture outside our homes, and why she”s so eager to see what the world has to offer. At first, I believed it was because I wasn’t enough for her. The thought that she needed more than me was a kind of betrayal. But now, I see that”s not the case at all. Penelope simply wants to live.
She’s been a caged bird her entire life and deserves to escape that cage. I worry about my enemies, but my young wife, who’s experienced a mere fraction of the deep, dark cavern of time that I have, deserves to live free, even if only a little at a time.
Because it”s abundantly clear that meeting Penelope, coming home to her every evening, having her in my bed and my life, and being the recipient of her smiles and laughter have changed me.
I”m in love with my wife.
The once-empty vessel in my chest now beats for her.
The realization is not as scary as I always imagined.
We continue to walk hand in hand down the street before crossing to the other side. Penelope heads down a narrow alleyway and stops in front of a children’s clothing store, gazing at the baby clothes with a look on her face that I can”t interpret.
“What’s the matter, little one?” I prompt, my worry growing as she continues to look in the window.
“It just reminds me of how a child should be loved. I was never given real love.” She pulls away from me, moving closer to the window. “Can we have children?”
I step closer. “Do you want children?” I”m not interested in children’s clothing, only her.
“I do, but I don’t want them to be pawns as I was. And maybe, one day, I’d like to talk with my mother. To ask her forgiveness for being a spoiled brat.” She leans into me then, and I sense the pain in her heart.
“If that is what you want, I’ll arrange it, Penelope. Whatever you want. You need only ask,” I promise, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll give you anything your heart desires.”
“Thank you,” she murmurs, wrapping her arm around my waist. “I know our marriage was arranged, and it’s not quite traditional, but I’m so glad you’re mine.”
“I didn’t know I was going to love you as much as I do,” I admit for the first time, tilting her chin with my index finger. “But I love you completely.”
Penelope’s eyes fill with tears, but they”re happy tears that wash away the rest of the world. “You love me?”
“Totally and without reservation,” I say for the first time in my existence. Have I ever loved anyone or anything before? No, not that I can remember. “I always will.”
She moves into my arms, her lips reaching for mine. “I love you, Mammon.”
Her words are a whisper against my lips, and I smile.
My thoughts are only on her, which is why I don”t notice the warning signs. I should have known better.
Four creatures surround us: an orc, a werewolf, a warlock, and a centaur.
I don”t recognize a single face and couldn”t name them, but I know someone who hates me greatly has sent them. I sigh. All I wanted was to give my wife a wonderful day out in town.
I push Penelope behind me with the clothing store window at her back. I have the strength to fight these enemies, but I need to be careful not to endanger my wife.
They close in on us, each searching for the right opening to come for us. Which one will be a problem first?
The werewolf advances, saliva dripping from his sharp teeth. The orc approaches from the other side, trying to get to Penelope.
She lets out a whimper, gripping my arm tightly.
The werewolf leaps, the warlock close behind.
I fight with the strength only a demon possesses, especially when the woman he loves is threatened. I elbow the werewolf, hearing the satisfying crack of his snout as blood spurts from his face before he crashes to the ground.
Turning, I slam my fist into the orc”s gut. He doubles over, and I deliver a mighty uppercut, sending him flying up the narrow alleyway.
The warlock is next as I grip his throat and hoist him into the air before tossing him into the opposite wall. His head hits the exposed brickwork with a resounding crack before he crumples to the concrete, motionless.
The centaur grins as he makes his move. Centaurs are tricky fuckers, and my heart thumps with adrenaline and fear for my wife. I’m so focused on him that it takes me a second to realize that Penelope is no longer behind me.
”Mammon!”
Her scream pierces the air as she”s dragged away.
Fuck, a fifth assailant. How did I not see him? I”m getting sloppy.
Before I can go to Penelope”s aid, the centaur rears, its hooves flailing an inch from my face. Its objective is obvious—keep me occupied while the unknown assailant takes off with Penelope. But they haven”t accounted for my love for my wife and my determination to keep her safe.
The centaur rears again, leaving his midsection vulnerable. I thrust my arm forward, slashing his chest with my talons and opening several wounds. The centaur screams, staggers, and tumbles to the ground.
I turn, instantly seeking Penelope as I sprint deeper into the alleyway. Any shoppers are long gone, no doubt heading for safety at the first sign of trouble.
”Mammon!”
I follow my wife”s scream at a run, turning left at the end of the alleyway and almost tripping over my wife”s prone body.
I glimpse a face disappearing into the shadows—a face I haven”t seen for many years.
Rapha. The` fucker is back.
”Penelope!” I drop to my haunches, gathering her into my arms.
”I”m okay,” Penelope says breathlessly.
Relief floods through me. I cradle her close, my protective instincts raging against the asshole who dared to take her from me. Smoothing her hair from her face, I scan her for injuries.
”I... I distracted him... Stomped on his toe to give you time to get to me.”
I look at her in disbelief. ”You distracted Rapha, an ancient Iberian vampire with immense power… by stomping on his toe?”
Penelope lifts wide eyes to mine. ”His name is Rapha?”
I shake my head incredulously, impressed and worried at her bravery. ”That”s the bit you took from the whole, ”ancient Iberian vampire with immense power thing?””
My wife pouts. ”Well, he still has the heel of my Jimmy Choo embedded in his big toe.” She lifts her feet, giving them a wiggle, and sure enough, one of her spiky heels is missing.
I stare at my wife—my clueless, fiercely courageous wife. She may still be ignorant of many of the dangers of my world, but she”s no damsel in distress. My chest swells with a love almost too big to contain. My Penelope has a core of steel.
But now we”re facing a new threat—the reappearance of Rapha.
What does he want? My position? My power? Did Lucifer put him and his asshole goons up to this? My mind races with plans and strategies to confront Rapha and ensure Penelope”s safety. This unexpected encounter has brought forth old enemies and new dangers, but I will protect my beloved wife at all costs.
”We need to get you out of here,” I say urgently, scanning the dimly lit alleyway for signs of further danger. “We have to go to The Below. I’m sorry, Penelope. We have to cut our trip short.”
Ignoring her crestfallen expression, I lift Penelope into my arms and rise to my feet, my demonic senses on high alert.
I snap my fingers, and we”re in the protected walls of our mansion in The Below. Rapha could make his way to Hell, but he can”t get through the mansion”s walls. Nothing and no one can except Lucifer.
“We’re safe here, I promise,” I tell Penelope, lowering her to our bedroom floor.
She gives me a sad look. “I didn’t think we could be attacked like that in public.”
“It was the only way they could attack me. It”s why I”m so cautious about your safety in The Above.” I cup her face, looking into her beautiful brown eyes. ”While I”m proud of you, my little Hellcat, for sacrificing your Jimmy Choo, Rapha could have snapped your neck or torn your throat out in an instant. But he didn”t. And I think I know why.”
”Why?”
I draw her to the bed with an arm around her shoulders.
”I think today was a warning. Like Lucifer, he was testing me to see what I’d do if you were taken from me. He wanted to know how important you are to me.”
Penelope”s brows draw together. ”Rapha was the one watching me. Lucifer was right. I”m your weakness.”
I tilt her face to mine, pinning her with my gaze. ”Yes, but you are also my greatest strength. If you have taught me one thing, it”s that we”re stronger when we know we”re loved in return.”
Penelope shoulder bumps me. ”Look at you getting all introspective,” she says teasingly. ”My demon husband is getting soft in his old age.”
A growl rumbles from my chest. ”Tell anyone, and I”ll be forced to tie you to the bed and torture you.”
”Is that supposed to be a threat?” my wife sasses, her eyes kindling with lust.
I chuckle as I shake my head. ”I”m a demon who”s created a monster.”
”Tell me more about this Rapha,” Penelope says, linking our fingers. ”Why does he want to hurt us?”
“I angered him a long time ago when I wouldn’t bring back the vampire he loved. Vampires have no souls to trade, and he had nothing else to offer me, so I refused the deal.” I sigh, wondering if it was the wrong decision. Wouldn”t I do the same now? “I didn’t know what it was like to love back then. How you’d do anything, trade anything, to be with your loved one.”
“It’s not your fault, Mammon. You’re the demon of greed, not love.” Penelope places her hand on my cheek, her love shining from her eyes. “You can’t blame yourself for something you had no control over.”
“I know. It seems we are both guilty of taking blame for circumstances beyond our control.” I pull her closer, needing to reassure myself that she”s all right. “You were so brave, little one.”
“Only because I knew you were there,” she whispers as my lips find hers, igniting desire deep within me.
I crush her against me, letting her feel my desperation. She responds with a needy moan, which only adds fuel to the fire of my desire. Her insatiable hunger for me is humbling, a hunger I return with interest.
“Mammon,” she says softly, and my body goes hot and cold simultaneously.
With a flick of my fingers, our clothes are gone, leaving no barriers between us. My wife drinks me in, licking her lips. My cock swells for her, letting her know I”ll give her anything she wants. She nudges me onto my back and reaches for my cock, her eyes innocently pleading as she tilts her head to meet my gaze.
She’s so small and delicate, yet so entirely sensual. I will the spikes on my cock to lay flat, allowing her hand to surround my flesh without injury. Her dainty digits barely fit around my shaft as she begins to stroke me.
Straddling my legs, she lowers her mouth so my pulsing tip is against her lips. Fuck, my wife is so sheltered, but it”s so hot that she wants to do this for me.
I’ll take anything she gives me, but this is like a gift from some unknown deity.
My entire body trembles as she places a soft kiss on the mushroomed head. Her tongue darts out as she tastes me, swirling her tongue around the head in dizzying pleasurable motions.
“You’re so big, so perfect,” she sighs, her voice heavy with lust.
“All the better to fill you with, my love,” I croon.
My hips jerk instinctively as she draws half of me into her mouth, taking a few seconds to adjust to my length and girth. She holds back a gag, and I see tears forming in her eyes. But my wife is a trooper as she swirls her tongue around me, sucking my demon cock as if she’s in a race to milk the cum from my balls.
My hips slowly pump upward, my cock hitting the back of her throat. She swallows and takes another half an inch, and I moan her name.
“That’s it, wife,” I coo, my mind fuzzy with lust. I try to hold on to the threads of my sanity so I can give her pleasure, too. “Spread your legs, little one. I’m going to do something for you, too.”
She obeys me immediately, opening her legs before returning her attention to my turgid cock.
I flick my tail, sliding the tip over her naked torso. Her eyes find mine, questions in their mocha depths. I grin, eager to show her how much I can pleasure her with this part of my body. My tail slides across her breasts, massaging her nipples into hard little points. It’s fascinating watching her body react to my touch.
Everything about her is so alive.
I ease my tail down further, tickling the inside of her thighs before sliding it across her slickness. Penelope gasps at the unfamiliar sensation but then sinks into it. Her pelvis moves forward, begging me to try the next step.
As I allow my dexterous appendage to slide inside her, she sighs around my shaft, bobbing her head forward and back as she fucks me with her mouth.
My tail easily finds that special spot, sliding over it with a fluid motion. Penelope hums around my cock, reaching a hand between her thighs to touch herself. The sight has my balls drawing up tight with my impending release. I go to pull away, but her mouth is like a fucking vacuum, sucking the cum from my balls. With a roar, I spill down her throat, and she takes large gulps of me, sucking me dry.
My cock slides out of her mouth, leaving one tiny drop of my seed, and fuck if I don”t almost cum again as her tongue pops out to swipe it away. Her head drops back as she lifts her body, riding my tail as I fuck her deep. She quivers and shrieks with a release so powerful that I swear Lucifer himself will hear it. Good. No better way to let him know she”s mine.
I stroke her insides gently with my tail as she comes down from her high. A smirk pulls at her mouth, and her eyes twinkle as she looks at me. My naughty little Hellcat isn”t finished.
I gently pull my tail from her slick heat and command, “On all fours.”
Penelope nods, showing me her ass and pussy. She looks over her shoulder at me, her eyes dark with need. “Don’t hold back.”
My body ignites.
The spikes protrude from my cock on command, and I slam home in her waiting sheathe, still soaked from her orgasm.
She cries out and fists the sheets as she pushes her pelvis against me, meeting every thrust. ”Oh, Mammon, you”re so big, so deep,” she sobs, adjusting to my size as we become one.
My spikes rub against her walls as I pick up my rhythm and my instincts take over. Her cunt clenches around me, and she wails as she comes again. I follow with a choked grunt, filling her with my seed until it overflows and trickles down her legs.
Once we”ve caught our breath and I”ve cleaned us up, Penelope snuggles into me, her hand resting over my heart. My last thought before we succumb to sleep is that nothing in Heaven or Hell could feel better than this.