Chapter 9
Chapter
Nine
LUCIFER
Merri was in quite a state this morning when she woke.
I could feel the hunger radiating from her in waves.
Sweet creature she was, she wouldn’t give in and take from Cole without permission.
Or perhaps at all. But that just wouldn’t do.
I needed her strong and willing, able to accept me into her body so she could carry my child.
None of that would happen if she starved herself.
Which meant it was time to take matters into my own hands. Literally.
I timed my plan perfectly, starting the shower the second I spotted Merri turning up the path to head back to the house.
“Places everyone,” I murmured, stepping under the steamy spray.
I glanced down at my already swelling cock and smirked. “Well done, you. Rising to attention like a good soldier.”
Listening intently so I could time everything just right, I waited for the sound of her footsteps coming down the hall. Angelic hearing was certainly a gift I’d made good use of every day of my long existence. Today was no exception.
Reaching down, I grabbed my throbbing dick and gave him a nice hard squeeze. The pulse of pleasure that shot through me was far more intense than I anticipated, telling me that this show of mine wasn’t all an act. I wanted her. But that wasn’t a surprise.
Outside the bathroom, Merri’s steps faltered, and I heard the impact as she hit the wall, followed by a tight gasp.
I’ve got her right where I want her.
A long, slow stroke from base to crown and back again had me grunting and throwing my head back before I released a loudly groaned, “Fuuuuck.”
She stayed put, and dare I say . . . whimpered faintly?
I could picture her, giving in to her need for me to sate her. She’d open the door, strip out of her clothes, and join me under the hot water.
As I fantasized, my strokes grew more fevered. Now I was chasing release as much as I was baiting her. Who said work wasn’t fun?
Time to break out the big guns, as they say.
“Merri. Yeah, baby, just like that.”
She sucked in a breath.
Bullseye.
But then she said, “You weren’t supposed to use this bathroom.”
She sprinted away, the slam of her door hard enough I imagined the walls rattled from the force.
Ooh . . . Looks like I touched a nerve.
Knowing that I was getting to her only fueled my desire for this game of cat and mouse we were playing. She wanted me. Craved me.
Me.
Well, technically, Cole. But only because she didn’t know better. Yet.
It was cute that she assumed going to her room would keep this moment from affecting her. There was a door connecting the bathroom to her boudoir. And I wasn’t quiet when I came.
Honestly, I didn’t understand men who wouldn’t make noise. How else was your partner supposed to know you were enjoying yourself?
Cock pulsing, I shot one hand out and braced myself on the tile wall. I hadn’t planned to actually get myself off, but I was all in now. Why not enjoy the fireworks?
“I’m so close, baby. Fuck, you’re so beautiful.”
Just when it seemed victory was in reach, I caught the fumbling at her door and the rush of her feet back down the hall.
“Bollocks,” I snapped, my true voice slipping out due to my frustration.
I’d been right there. Not just with tipping Merri over the edge, but myself as well. The loss of my audience was, well . . . deflating. In more ways than one.
“It is never advisable to leave the devil with blue balls, little minx. You’ll just have to take care of that later.”
Shutting off the water, I stepped out of the shower and toweled off.
I needed to lean into the forced proximity of our situation now that I’d gotten her so worked up she’d had to run.
We were never going to conceive my antichrist without her letting me—and my cock—in.
She was too in her head, too worried about feeding off Cole or about her stupid horsemen, to give herself what she needed. What she truly wanted.
Me.
Wrapping a towel around my waist, I wiped my hand over the fogged-up mirror. Cole’s face stared back at me, all but the eyes. I had to keep my beautiful irises. They were too stunning to hide. A sneer curled my lip as I looked at the man these circumstances forced me to pretend to be.
“Prepare for your final act, Cole. If this face isn’t enough to get the job done, then perhaps it’s time to retire it.
” As I spoke, my reflection rippled in the mirror until I was looking at my true self, the one I’d shown her in her dreams. “And I just so happen to know she’s a real fan of this one. ”
It had been nearly an hour before she returned.
I’d settled myself in the living room with a surprisingly well-written thriller to pass the time.
It was adorable that she thought she’d be able to sneak behind me on her way to her bedroom, and I gave her enough grace to let her skulk by before calling over my shoulder, “Everything okay, Merri?”
Look at me, sincerity dripping from every word.
She froze, indecision radiating out of her.
I turned so I could see her fully, not giving her the option of ignoring me or the question.
Clearing her throat, she ran a hand through her long hair. “Um, yeah. Fine. Just wanted to stretch my legs.”
“Are you hungry? I can give you something to eat.” Standing, I began closing the distance between us with slow, purposeful steps. She, in turn, backed away, eyes darting toward the hall.
“I . . . I’m good. I’ll take care of myself.”
My expression was filled with concern. Sweet Cole, heart on his sleeve, desperate to help her. And truthfully, she looked miserable. The poor thing was starving. Her eyes had purplish bruises forming beneath them, cheeks pale, skin lacking its usual luminous glow. She needed me.
“Merri, you and I both know that’s a lie.”
She visibly startled. “What?”
“You can’t give yourself what you need. Only I can do that.”
Her mouth dropped open. “H-how—”
I was close enough now that I was able to reach out and place my finger against her lips. “I know what you are.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re a succubus.”
Her eyes were so wide I could see the white on the top and bottom. “How did you . . .”
“You know I’m good with research. I looked you up when you first started your page.”
“There’s no record of me. Especially not as a succubus. The humans don’t know we exist.”
I grinned. “Meredith Devereaux. Foster parents abandoned you after your boyfriend died from an aortic aneurysm when you were in high school. You disappeared after that, but it wasn’t hard to figure out the rest. Especially after I learned to identify what succubi deaths look like.
The dark web isn’t all insidious and nefarious. ”
She shook her head, at a total loss. So I pressed my advantage.
“Let me help you, Merri. I want to. I told you I’d take care of you.”
“No. You don’t know what you’re suggesting.”
“Yes, I do.” Sliding my fingers into the hair at the base of her skull, I drew her into me. “I know what you need. I know how to give it to you. You won’t hurt me.”
“I will, Cole. I will drain you dry.”
“I’m not Jimmy. I’m not a human.”
“You aren’t?” she asked, cocking her head. I could practically see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried unsuccessfully to figure out what I was.
“I’m Nephilim,” I breathed, my lips hovering just over hers. “Part angel.”
Technically all angel, but she wasn’t ready for all my secrets just yet.
“I’m not agoraphobic. I’m in hiding, same as you. They don’t want me to exist. If they could, they’d trap me in a cage for eternity.” Also not a lie.
“An angel?” she whispered.
Taking her hand, I pressed it against my chest. “In the flesh.”
“So I won’t be able to . . .”
“Suck my soul from my body and kill me in the throes of passion?”
Her gaze left mine and dropped to the floor. “Something like that.”
“You won’t. It would take a lot more than a succubus feeding to kill me.”
She huffed out a disbelieving laugh. “I’ve heard that line before.”
Taking her face in my hands, I lifted until her eyes were locked on mine. “Merri, don’t you get it? We were supposed to find each other. How else do you explain me stumbling onto your page all those months ago and how you and I ended up here in the middle of the apocalypse?”
She jolted a little at the word.
“Yes, I know about that too.” I snickered. “My kind are sort of hardwired to know the signs.”
Her breath was sweet where it fanned over my lips.
Pressing my forehead against hers, I delivered what I hoped would be the killing blow in terms of her resistance. “I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life to be right here, in this moment with you. You’re the one I’ve been looking for.”
Ooooh, I was good. Knee-buckling, panty-incinerating, swoon-inducing. She wasn’t going to be able to deny it now. Not when I said all that to her. Not when I knew it was what she most craved.
A voice in my mind whispered, and not when it’s the truth.
I shot that down instantly. She was my purpose, yes, but that purpose was to claim the world as my domain and get out of the depths of hell.
Time to bring it home.
I leaned in and brought my lips a breath away from hers. One kiss and she’d be mine; I just knew it.
But she pulled back, denying me.
“I’m . . . I’m sorry, Cole. I’m not ready for something so intimate.”
A snarl formed in the back of my throat, but before it could take shape, she looked me dead in the eye and added, “But you’re right. I do need to feed.”
“So . . . Pretty Woman rules? No kissing on the mouth?”
She smirked. “Yes. Nothing on the mouth. But trust me, there are other ways to get what I need. You’ll enjoy them all.”