Epilogue
DAEMON
Icarry my wife over the threshold into our bedroom and kick the door shut behind us.
I’d planned to bring Alix on a tour of Ellender so she could see all the other countries she hasn’t yet had time to visit. We were supposed to leave for Solistine right after the wedding, but the snow made it impossible.
“Are you disappointed to spend your wedding night in our normal room?” I ask as I carry her over to the bed.
She laughs, running her smiling lips along my jaw. “I don’t have the ability to be disappointed about anything right now. We could spend all of the next two weeks in this room and I’d be thrilled.”
I grin and put her down on the edge of the bed. “Glad you say that, Peaches, because it looks like we might have to.”
She glances at the window and we’re both silent for a moment, listening to the howling wind and the snow pelting the glass. Alix turns back to me and grins wider. “Sounds perfect.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me down for a kiss. I moan into her mouth, feeling my cock grow hard against her. “If I’m not inside you in the next five seconds I’m going to fucking die.”
She pulls back a fraction, her mouth hovering a breath away from mine. “I feel like I’m going to die if I don’t get a bath after such a long day. Maybe we can kill two birds?”
My lips curl up as I bend to scoop her into my arms. Her thighs tighten around me, the silk of her wedding dress rustling between us as I navigate around the four-poster bed and stride toward our adjoining bathing room.
I put Alix down on the edge of the enormous porcelain tub and lean over to turn on the faucets. The roar of water fills the room.
While we wait for the bath to fill, Alix stands up and steps around me. She reaches behind her back and tugs down the zipper of her white lace dress. “That’s the next thing I’m going to make sure we get in Ellender.”
“What?” I ask, blinking rapidly as she steps out of the pool of white fabric, leaving the dress on the tiled floor.
Alix smirks. “Zippers. Much easier access than corsets.”
Alix saunters toward me, the white lace of her undergarments stark against her flushed skin.
She closes the distance between us until I feel the heat of her body through my clothes.
I catch her by the waist as she rises on her toes, her mouth trailing up my throat.
Her fingers work at my jacket, peeling it away as she presses herself against me.
My cock grows even harder between us and I growl against her mouth.
Alix pulls back, her gaze flicking to the half-full tub behind me. The corner of her mouth lifts, eyes darkening as she holds my stare. I don’t know what she’s thinking until she sinks onto her knees in front of me and I almost choke on my own tongue.
The sight of her kneeling, half dressed, hair falling in soft waves over bare shoulders, her hands trailing lightly down my hips, is enough to short-circuit my nervous system. The air in the room seems to grow thin. My heart is pounding so hard I’m sure she can hear it over the rush of water.
She looks up at me through her lashes, the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.
She reaches up slowly, deliberately—drawing it out, making me feel every single millimeter of anticipation—and undoes my belt with a single practiced motion.
She makes a mischievous purr in the back of her throat that shoots straight to my cock.
I groan audibly, which only seems to amuse her more.
Alix slips my belt from the loops and drapes it over her shoulder like a sash of honor, then starts on the button of my trousers.
Her knuckles brush my abdomen, and I tense involuntarily—my entire body humming under her touch.
My shirt is still on, but her hands glide beneath the hem, hunting for bare skin.
Her nails scrape lightly over my hips, making me shudder.
She tugs open the rest of the buttons on my trousers and my cock springs free, hard enough that it aches. She runs her fingers lightly along my shaft, teasing, exploring.
She wraps her hand around the base of my cock, then rocks forward on her knees. She kisses the head, slow and deliberate, then she licks a stripe up the underside, circling back to the tip with a wickedly talented tongue. I groan, and my knees threaten to buckle.
I hiss and brace one hand against the marble wall, the other tangled in her hair, barely restraining myself from thrusting into her mouth the second she flicks her tongue out to taste me.
I’m suddenly starving for her—ravenous in a way that feels a little dangerous. I reach down and pull her hair to get her attention. “Look at me.”
She does. Her blue eyes flick up to mine, as she takes me back into her mouth, inch by excruciating inch, and the world narrows to the wet heat and the way her throat vibrates when she hums in satisfaction.
She sets a rhythm, one hand wrapping tight around my base, the other cradling my hip. I let my head fall back and close my eyes, but after a minute, I can’t take it anymore. If she keeps doing that I’m coming down her throat, and that’s not what I want right now.
Alix makes a noise of protest as I haul her to her feet and kiss her like I might never get the chance again. Her body arches into mine, soft and yielding and impossibly warm.
She’s flushed all the way down her neck, eyes bright with mischief. Then, as if making a show of it, she peels off her ridiculous lace underwear, careful and slow, letting the fabric snag over her thighs before tossing it to the floor.
I don’t even get a second to appreciate the view before she’s climbing over the lip of the tub, one leg at a time, pale skin ghosting against the sharp white porcelain.
I fumble my shirt off, too frantic to bother with the buttons and just tugging it over my head, then nearly moan at the sight of Alix already sinking into the water, naked and wet, lips parted in invitation.
The tub is comically oversized, ornate, with gold fixtures and enough room for three people.
I sink against the back of it, stretching my legs, and she settles between them, her back pressed to my chest. I wrap my arms around her, hands roaming up her slick stomach to cup her breasts, thumbs circling over the peaks. She gasps, arching into my touch.
She turns her head to kiss me, slow at first, then hungry, her tongue gliding against mine as her hands reach behind her, gripping my thighs.
I trace my fingers down her stomach, over her hip bones, and she lets out a sound that borders on a whimper when my fingers trace over her folds.
Her head falls back against my shoulder, her breath catching in her throat as my fingers find that sensitive spot where she’s already slick and swollen.
I take my time exploring her, feeling her pulse quicken beneath my touch as I drag my fingers over her slowly, circling her clit in lazy teasing strokes.
She moans, low and desperate, the sound echoing off the marble walls.
I slide my free hand up to her jaw and press my thumb against her fluttering pulse.
She whimpers and rocks back into me, greedy for friction, her ass grinding against my cock under the water. I can’t resist—I stop stroking her just long enough to reach down and guide myself between her ass cheeks letting the swollen tip nudge against her.
Alix parts her thighs wider, the motion sending little ripples across the surface of the bath, and I slide my hand between her legs again, this time with far less restraint.
She’s so sensitive I can feel every tremor under my fingertips as I work steady, deliberate circles over her clit, picking up speed and pressure.
She digs her nails into my thighs for leverage, grinding back against my cock so the head slips back and forth between her cheeks, caught in the tight grip of her body and the warm swirl of the water.
Her skin is flushed everywhere—cheeks, neck, chest, the little line of her jaw where she keeps biting herself to stay quiet.
I want to tell her not to bother, that she could scream the damn roof down and I’d be proud, but I’m not sure I can form actual words.
I keep my rhythm tight and relentless, my other hand moving from her throat to splay across her pelvis and hold her in place while I work her over with my fingers. She starts to shiver, first just in her thighs, then her whole body, and her voice shatters in a single sharp moan.
The sight and sound of it is almost enough to finish me, but I’m greedy for her, so I double down, slowing my touch just enough to draw it out, keeping her perched in that sweet spot between agony and bliss.
She’s shaking so hard I have to wrap an arm across her ribcage to keep her from sliding under the water.
Finally, she bucks against me and wrenches my wrist in a silent plea for mercy. I let go and she collapses back against my chest, boneless and half-laughing, the kind of laughter that’s pure relief.
When she’s recovered somewhat, Alix twists around in my arms, shifting so she’s straddling my lap, knees braced on the smooth bottom of the tub.
The water rises to her chest, beads rolling down her skin.
She presses her forehead to mine, gaze locked, and then lines herself up and sinks onto me in one slow, agonizing glide.
The heat, the wet, the sheer fucking tightness of her—it’s all I can do not to lose it on the spot. I grip her hips, holding her steady as she starts to move, rolling her body with a practiced rhythm that makes the whole world go white around the edges.
She tangles her hands in my hair as she kisses me deeper.
I grip her hips, guiding her up and down. I can barely breathe. The pressure is building, every nerve in my body focused on where we’re joined, and she’s whispering my name over and over, losing words as she starts to fall apart.
“Fuck—Alix—” I choke out, and before the words are fully formed, her entire body goes taut. She arches back with a strangled gasp, her fingers clawing at my shoulders for purchase. She bites down hard on my neck as the ripple of her orgasm pulses through her and into me.
The feeling of her clenching around me is so intense that there’s no chance of holding back. I hear myself make a guttural sound and I lock my arms around her, crushing her to my chest and come hard, the climax ripping through me with enough force to blur my vision.
She doesn’t let go. She plants her hands on either side of my face, forehead pressed to mine and I hold her there, locked in place and I don’t let her move, not even an inch, not until I’m sure she’s taken every drop.
Only then do I loosen my grip, just enough that she can collapse against me, limp and spent, her arms wrapped around my neck and her heart thumping double-time against my ribs.
Alix shifts and tries to stand, but I grab her hips and hold her down. “Where do you think you’re going?”
She blinks at me. “Uh, I don’t know. Maybe to grab a towel?”
I shake my head and hold her closer. “Don’t even fucking think about it. You’re not going anywhere for the next two weeks.”
She laughs. “We’re going to have to at least pause to eat.”
I shake my head again, though I’m smiling now. “We’re immortal, Peaches. Technically, we don’t have to eat.”
Her brow wrinkles. “Are you sure about that?”
“No, but I’m willing to test it.” I grin and press my lips to the curve of her throat. “I have much more important things to do with my mouth.”
She laughs and throws her head back. “I guess it could be worse.”