Chapter 41
Forty-One
That sexy demand got him moving, and Peri stood on the bed, his fingers trembling as he attempted to unbutton all the tiny buttons that took three of his cousins to get him into.
He barely got a few done before he whimpered and shook his head.
He’d rather have Wash rip it off. He’d just ask his cousin to fix it. Magic existed for a reason.
Magic.
He bit back a groan, finally remembering the spell Nyx told him to get it off at the end of the night.
With a whisper and a snap, the outfit shimmered and disappeared, appearing again on the hanger in the closet like he’d never put it on in the first place.
That left him naked standing on the bed in front of an equally naked Wash who looked at him like he was going to devour him.
Oh, please, oh, please, oh, please devour him. He needed it.
Wash stepped forward, running his hands up Peri’s legs and torso, trailing fire along his skin. Peri trembled beneath his touch, his knees going weak, his hands resting on Wash’s shoulders to stabilize himself.
“Wash…” he whimpered.
Humming, Wash turned him, giving the rest of his body the same treatment. It was just touch, he hadn’t done anything extra, and still Peri felt close to exploding.
“I like Ozen’s idea of biting you where no one but me can see it. I’m just not sure where.”
“Wherever you want,” Peri breathed, turning back around when Wash urged him to do so. “Please, Wash. I want it.”
Wash ran his mouth along Peri’s thigh, tongue ghosting along the inside of it, and Peri sucked in a sharp gasp of surprise at the feeling of rightness that washed over him.
“There. Do it there.”
Wash’s rumbly sound of agreement was followed by a nip in that exact spot. Peri’s legs gave out just at the tease, and Wash had to catch him to keep him from spilling to the floor. He urged Peri to sit, then put a hand on his chest, right over his heart.
“I need you to lie back, baby. Just for a little while. Can you stay still for me?”
The thought made Peri breathless all over again. The sensation of having something touching his wings always gave him goosebumps. Adding that on top of whatever Wash had planned might be too much for him to handle.
“Will you be mad if I come?” he asked, feeling his cheeks warm.
Chuckling, Wash kissed his lips gently. “No, baby. In fact, I’m counting on it.”
He didn’t give Peri a chance to ask what he meant before he was urging Peri to lay back, and the tingles spread through his body as his wings took in the sensations of the soft covers and the weight of his body on top of them.
It was hard to stay still, especially because Wash refused to just bite him and get it over with.
He took his time not only kissing every inch of Peri he could reach, but he also took the time to do a quick prep because apparently, “I’ll be too riled up to do it after.
” That little comment alone nearly sent Peri over the edge.
By the time Wash’s tongue trailed over his inner thigh again, Peri was panting and mewling, and his legs moved restlessly while he did his best to keep the rest of his body still so he wouldn’t hurt himself.
Wash’s warm hand settled on his chest, pressing lightly, and Peri didn’t understand why until he heard Wash whisper something and he felt a pinch on his inner thigh.
Without Wash’s hand to keep him steady, he definitely would have hurt himself.
He jerked against the hand on his chest, screaming as wave after wave of pleasure slammed into him so hard his vision whited out.
It felt like it went on forever, and not long enough when Wash released him, jerking him upright and spinning him around so he was on his hands and knees.
“Wash… What– ungh!”
His mate hadn’t lied when he said he’d be too riled to be gentle. He pushed his big cock inside of Peri’s still twitching hole before he could come down from his first release, sending him sailing into a second climax right after.
His arms collapsed, his upper half hitting the bed, only for Wash to scoop him back up so Peri was pressed against Wash’s chest, wings and all, practically blind and delirious from the amount of pleasure swimming through him.
Only once he was fully wrapped around him did Wash’s hips start moving, and Peri realized that they weren’t anywhere near finished yet. They’d just started.
“Oh, goddess! Wash!”
“Yes, baby,” Wash groaned. “So perfect. So beautiful. So. Fucking. Mine.” He snapped his hips with each sentence, groaning wildly as Peri’s body clamped down on him, and he came again.
Strong fingers tipped his jaw, encouraging Peri to look over his shoulder.
He was swept into a messy kiss that tasted like blood and Wash and crashed through his body like a tidal wave.
He could feel another release coming, though he wasn’t sure how much more he could take.
He’d told Wash he could come as many times as Wash wanted him to, but his releases weren’t normally this intense.
He felt a little like the next climax would send him to the stratosphere, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever come back down.
“One more, baby,” Wash growled against his lips. “Give me one more. Let the world know you’re mine.”
“I am yours,” Peri wailed. “I’ll always be yours– ah!
There! Goddess! Wash!” His words tapered into a scream as Wash’s hand wrapped around his cock, stroking him roughly enough to make Peri’s toes curl.
That, combined with the way Wash’s cock pounded against his prostate and that warm thrumming sensation that had built in his chest since the ceremony began, sent Peri crashing over the edge in a final release so intense, he couldn’t breathe.
When he collapsed forward, Wash came with him, catching himself on his hands near Peri’s shoulders so he didn’t land on his wings.
His mate’s gentleness came back as he carefully rearranged their positions so Peri was draped across Wash’s chest, both of them breathing hard and quiet for a long moment as they tried to wrap their heads around what had just happened.
“Wash?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think the human who started the rumor that demons steal your soul was mated to a demon?”
Because seriously, at one point, he felt like his soul left his body, and he wasn’t entirely sure it fully came back.
With the warmth in his chest that felt a lot like Wash, he felt like maybe they’d each taken a little of each other’s souls with them when they came back down from that last release.
Wash huffed, hugging him a little tighter. “And what? You think they were bragging, and the truth got twisted the more it got shared?”
Lifting his shoulder, Peri closed his eyes. “Maybe. Isn’t that how most myths start? The truth twisted over time?”
He couldn’t stay awake long enough to hear Wash’s answer, but he got the feeling that he was right. And even if he wasn’t, it didn’t matter. Finally, after two months of planning, he was fully mated to his demon. Life couldn’t get any better than this.
The final day was supposed to be about demon clans combining magic.
Something about strengthening clans. Since Ozen had never been immediate family during one of the mating ceremonies he’d been to, he’d never seen it himself, and it wouldn’t have worked anyway since not everyone in their group could give magic like the ritual required.
Wash had been willing to skip it, but Taron had come up with a fun solution instead.
The couples who could give magic offered it in a blessing for the newly weds, while those who had participants who couldn’t bought a gift and the blessing was tied to the item instead and given to the couple.
Avery bought Wash a fancy gold pen that Ozen put enough magic into so that it’d never be lost and wouldn’t run out of ink.
Wash had needed to immediately hide it because Maverick had a thing for office supplies and couldn’t stop staring.
Tony had bought Peri a whisk with designs etched into the handle, and his mates added magic to imbue Peri’s feelings into whatever he was making, so he could continue spreading joy and happiness with every treat he made.
It was fun and thoughtful and a beautiful mix of tradition and adapting to the family they had.
When it was Elijah and Alistair’s turn to step up, Peri was glad to see Wash smile at his brother instead of tensing and shuttering his expression like he used to.
Elijah looked a little nervous, his hands fluttering a little as he explained, “I know we’re supposed to give a blessing, but I had an idea for a gift I thought you might prefer. If you’re interested. I’d need to use my magic, though, I understand if that makes you uncomfortable and—”
“Elijah,” Wash stopped him, his expression that of a brother patiently waiting for his twin to relax. “I’ve never been afraid of your magic. You don’t have to worry about making me uncomfortable.”
“You haven’t?” Elijah asked, his brows drawn together in confusion. “But… You worked so hard on your shields. You were the first person to block me out. I thought…”
Wash shook his head, his face twisted in a grimace.
“That wasn’t because I was afraid of you.
I started working on my shields because you said you were exhausted picking up everything around you, and I wanted you to have a safe place where you wouldn’t be drained just by being close to me.
I wasn’t blocking you out. I was protecting you. ”
Tears filled Elijah’s eyes, and Peri felt a lump form in his throat as he watched the brothers realize they’d been so busy trying to protect each other, they’d made too many assumptions along the way.
Wash was the first to break, shaking his head with a laugh.
“We apparently need to sit down and talk sometime soon. I feel like our communication issues are to blame for us not being close anymore.” He lifted his gaze to lock with Elijah’s, his voice solemn, but hopeful.
“I’d like to change that, if you’re up for it. I miss my brother, too.”
Elijah nodded rapidly, blinking away tears. With a light push from his mate, he stepped forward, and Wash dragged him into a tight hug. Peri’s ability to hold back his tears disappeared entirely, and he accepted a tissue from Alistair who watched on with an affectionate smile on his face.
“It was the outcome I was hoping for,” he admitted. “They just needed to talk to one another.”
Peri agreed wholeheartedly, dabbing at his eyes. “Well, they won’t need to worry about that anymore. We’ll make sure they communicate properly.” He shot a mock glare at Alistair, pointing a finger at him. “I’m still determined to find your favorite sweet. I’ll figure it out eventually.”
Alistair ruffled his hair with a grin. “Sure, short stuff. Whatever you say.” He put a hand on Elijah’s back when his mate finally pulled away, giving him a look so full of love and pride, it took Peri’s breath away. “Come on, Eli. Let’s make their gift.”
With a shaky nod, Elijah offered a hand to each of them. “I want you to think about your mate; the first moment you met them, when you realized you loved them, your favorite parts of them. Focus on them in your mind.”
Peri closed his eyes, focusing on Wash and the moments he cherished the most. The day they met, the first time Wash complimented his baking, their flight through the starlight realm.
He felt a brush of magic against his mind, but he didn’t let it bother him, playing memory after memory until Elijah released his hand and stepped back, turning to Alistair who was forming a crystal ball with his magic right in front of their eyes.
Peri watched in fascination as he passed it to his mate, and Elijah’s eyes slid shut, his hands and the ball glowing for a moment before returning to normal.
When he offered it to Peri, Wash’s face swam to the surface, little snippets of his favorite memories playing like videos right in front of his eyes.
Wash taking it had the same result, except with his memories of Peri instead.
“This is amazing!” Peri beamed. “Thank you!”
“Little memories get lost over the passage of time,” Elijah pointed out with a smile. “Whenever you want to add something new, you can bring it to me, and I’ll help you preserve it so you never forget the memories important to you.”