The Inferno

Chapter 17 An Ache

I t doesn’t take long to find the room I woke up in, the power seeps out and under the door in large waves and slight crackles as I push open the door.

The room is bathed in darkness, even the light from the bathroom no longer remains. The only light now is a gentle blue which helps to outline the objects in the room and I soon find Sai is no longer in the chair, but in bed, without a shirt on.

Even in the darkness, when his markings flare, I can’t help but stare at him. His ivory skin contrasts with the dark, and his intricate patterns seem perfectly designed to emphasise every muscle and curve of his body.

I take gentle steps into the room, careful not to wake him, and slowly sink into the armchair placed precariously close to the bed. I consider sliding it further back but I don’t want to risk waking him.

When I lay back into the plush chair, our powers begin to intertwine, the markings on his chest glow a vibrant and intense violet before dimming once more.

My body begins to hum at the connection, pleasant tingling runs along my skin and soon, my eyes begin to close as I sink into the darkness again.

Hot.

I’m wrapped in an intense heat which makes me squirm. I push at the heavy barricade keeping me here, mumbling in annoyance until the warmth tightens around me and I’m pulled backwards against the source.

My eyes fly open, seeking out light in complete darkness as my skin sizzles at the proximity. My sight locks onto the arm securing me, wrapped around my stomach, touching parts of my skin which aren’t fully covered by the robe any more. The heat suddenly becomes unbearable as I push against it.

Bright markings burst around me, coating my skin in a heavy hue of blue which somehow soothes the heat, sending a chill through my body which has me sighing in relief and sinking back.

“Better?” His voice is barely a whisper, skimming the edge of my ear and causing my skin to erupt into a wave of goosebumps.

I should be pulling away, I know I should .

But I don’t.

I slowly nod, half-dazed with half-lidded eyes. I’m entranced by the markings humming along his skin, my fingers twitch with the urge to trace every line.

His arm is still tightly curled around and beneath me, and when I begin to hover my fingers over the intricate designs painting his skin, the constant hum of blue begins to flicker under my almost touch.

“Good, because I have no intention of letting you go,” he murmurs so softly, lips grazing the shell of my ear and the fingers of his other hand grip my thigh tightly through the robe. My power flares at the possessive touch, seemingly welcoming it, and our powers entwine around us. “You’re so warm and soft. I just need to feel more of you.”

When his arm begins to unwrap from my waist, the lack of touch makes me much more conscious as to where I am and who I’m with. My body tenses and I attempt to shift away.

“What are you doing?” I whisper, the words are fragile and filled with a deep heat which does nothing but encourage him as his hand grips my hip— stilling my movement.

“Shh, stop thinking,” he urges, his deep voice rumbling through his chest as he tugs me back again. “I just need to touch you. Just let me feel you. Please , Red,” he begs.

It’s that sound, and the vibration of our powers connecting, which eases my tense muscles. The sensation only intensifies when I feel the belt of my robe loosening.

“Just relax,” he murmurs, the soft lull carrying me into a drunken, heated bliss.

But when his hand slips beneath my robe, his fingers flexing out and smoothing over the bare skin of my stomach, my hand races up and clamps onto his.

“This is going too far,” I say, but my voice is breathless, lacking any sense of real disagreement. “We need to stop.”

“I couldn’t feel you, Red.”

His fingers slide between mine, and our powers spike abruptly, violently seeking and feeding from one another, casting the room into deep violet.

“And when I finally could, you were... dying.”

My power seeks, devours and amplifies every emotion in the room, every single touch, every murmur, magnifying it.

My eyes barely stay open now, clouded by a hungry, devouring haze which I created.

His free hand trails slowly up and down and up my leg again. Then it slides over my hip, across my stomach and settles over my fingers which tried to keep his other hand captive.

“I still feel it,” he whispers, his lips caressing my throat. “The ache, the emptiness.” He peels one finger away. “I just need it to stop.” And another. “I need to know this is real." The rest. "That you’re here.” His soft confessions against my skin plunge me into an even deeper haze and my hand, the one holding his, simply falls away.

I feel him pull my arm back, trapping it between his chest and my back, ensuring I can’t use it. Then his thumb begins to trace a soft pattern along my inner thigh.

He takes his time trailing up, then down, then back up again.

I have to bite my lip to stop the moan bubbling out of my throat.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” he whispers, teasing the skin just below my ear with gentle strokes from his lips. “Let me help you, baby. Let me take the ache away.”

"This is wrong," I quietly plead, my free hand gripping the mattress when his fingers trace a little higher. I no longer know if I'm pleading for him to stop or continue. “Sai, we can’t—”

The sound of his name falling from my lips in a desperate whine causes his markings to blaze. Crackles flicker around us.

Murmurs of Faeish caress my jaw before he pleads in a hushed whisper, “Say my name again, Red. Just like that.”

“I—”

“Please, Red. Please , baby. I need it.” His voice sounds so strained, as though in pain, whilst his fingers continue caressing my inner thigh in slow, tortuous movements. "Say it so I know you're here with me. So I know this is real. That we weren't too late. Please."

I can't resist him.

“Sai.”

His power rushes over me, the euphoric sensation making my eyes close. I’m so desperate for more, for that feeling to continue again and again, that I arch back into him.

I feel his hard muscles contract and tighten against me, then he shivers. "Fuck, you feel so good."

The sensation of his delicate touches, along with his pleading voice and hard body, causes a desperate, needy, sound to fall from my lips.

A noise which seems to awaken something within him .

“Fuck, Red. Those sounds…” I feel his entire body tense. His power erupts again and desperately clashes with mine, sending more ripples of heat over my skin. "You make such pretty noises."

I desperately try to turn around, dying to reach out and feel him, see him.

"Stay still, baby. Let me take care of you," his murmur is almost a growl as his lips drag along my throat before reaching my ear. “Let me take the ache away.” The dark melody of his voice burns my skin as his fingers trace higher.

A soft moan spills out, the word ‘stop’ just on the tip of my tongue. But I can't manage words any more, and I greedily lean further into him, feeling all of him, and urge him without words to do anything but stop.

"Were you gonna tell me to stop?” His voice is full of possessive hunger as his fingers continue their ascent and his mouth drags along my throat. "Tell me to leave, tell me this is wrong, huh? Does this feel wrong, Red? Tell me you’re not desperate to have me inside of you. I dare you to say it."

I can't. I can't speak. My eyes roll back in my head from his touch combined with his dangerous murmurs.

I feel my mark burning, feel the darkness awakening. His lips leave stinging marks as he drags them down my throat again, nipping and teasing the sensitive skin with his teeth.

His fingers keep moving, leaving slivers of heat in their wake, until he finally reaches where I desperately need him.

When he gently slides one finger over my seam, brushing me so slowly, once, twice, before pushing inside of me, bit by bit, I whimper.

“Fuck... you’re so wet, Red,” he murmurs, a growl hanging off the final word as he continues to tortuously slide his finger in and out of me. “So wet for something so wrong. So fucking needy.”

He doesn’t wait for a response. He knows I can’t rebut him. I’m too far gone for words.

Instead, he gradually pushes his finger deeper inside. I quietly gasp, the euphoric sensation of him so slowly, tediously, sliding in and out of me almost sending me over the edge already.

I bite my lip whilst he keeps the same tender, leisurely pace, in and out. Then he adds another finger and I moan.

“Shh, baby. I know, I know you want more but I have to make this last.” He never increases his speed, not once, and the weight of his arm keeps me in place. “I’ve dreamt about this, Red. Seeing you desperate and begging for me. But this is… this is more than I could have imagined.” His thumb brushes over my clit and I spasm. He holds it there. “You’re doing so good, baby. So fucking good for me.” He pushes his thumb in, just a tad, just once, and I groan. “Only tried to touch yourself once, did so good following my instructions. Such a good girl for me.”

Kisses trail down my neck and over my shoulder.

“Want me to stop the ache, baby? Tell me you want that, tell me you want me to make you come.” When his other fingers run along my chest, briefly coasting over my nipples, another strangled moan leaves my lips.

This noise seems to be enough to appease him as his thumb restarts the hellish teasing. Slowly circling over my clit at the same tedious pace.

“Can you feel it, Red? You’re so close.” He slows his pace again, pulling nearly all the way out before sliding all the way back in. I moan again. “Fuck, you ready to come for me? Gonna be a good girl and come for me?” he soothes these vile things into my ear whilst his pace never increases.

The burning ache, the gradual build, it’s all too much as I push back and into him, silently pleading for more. “Such a good girl asking me for more.” The pressure on my clit turns harder as I grind into him again, matching his slow pace. “Take it, Red, take what you want. That's it. You’re being so good for me, so fucking good, baby.”

My moans morph into something guttural at his praise, they’re desperate, heated, needy pleas as I rock back against him.

“Fuck,” he suddenly splutters. I feel his chest shuddering against me, feel his fingers pause for a moment even as I continue pushing against him. “You’re gonna make me come, Red.” I revel in his harsh whisper, in the knowledge that he’s lost in all of this too. Lost in us. “Come with me, baby.”

Our slow movements, our needy moans and gasps all mix and my power amplifies every single tiny speck of pleasure there is, until we’re both on the very precipice.

His markings pulse a final time as our powers burst, combine, ignite. We both moan with our release and embers erupts into the air with us.

Our bodies collapse, his coils around me, and our quiet pants fill the airs.

We spend a moment just breathing, bathing in the post-orgasm bliss, oblivious to everything else, ignorant to all the things outside of this .

Us.

I’m still in a haze, not ready to face the consequences of our actions as neither one of us speaks. His markings glow again, caressing me into another cooling wave of bliss. His arm wraps around my waist and I ease back into his body again.

His grip tightens and I easily slip back into the welcoming dark.

◆◆◆

“Time to wake up.”

"No."

Warm laughter shakes me. "Come on, baby. I've let you sleep long enough."

Baby?

"Urghhh, but I'm not on shift tonight. Let's just stay in bed."

His warm lips touch my shoulder, my throat, ending just below my ear. "If we do stay in bed, we won't be sleeping, Red."

Red?

The name causes my eyelids to flutter open. Wisps of light illuminate the room.

A room that wasn't mine.

And when I feel a warm arm wrapped around me, the memories of last night resurface in an abrupt, vivid collage.

My eyes shoot open.

No.

No, no, no, no, no. ..

I didn't. I couldn't...

My nails dig into Sai's arm in a death grip. "Get off of me," I say in a low, threatening voice.

Instead of letting me go, in one sudden movement he turns me and drags me towards him.

I squeeze my eyes shut, my hands shoot out and push against his hot chest in attempt to escape his hold.

I refuse to look at him, to acknowledge that this is reality, that I'd allowed him to...

"Aw, don't be like this, Red," he murmurs, he's so close I can feel his breath against my lips. "Look at me, come on, let me see those pretty eyes."

"This isn't real. This isn't happening," I mumble, eyes tightly shut, head shaking. My entire body isrigid. "This is all just a dream. A very bad, bad dream and— "

"Does this feel like a dream to you?" he whispers as his fingers caress my spine before placing a chaste kiss upon my jaw.

No. No it fucking doesn't.

My heart races as I try to breathe.

It's too much.

I can't catch my breath.

I can't breathe.

My power explodes, slamming into Sai as I desperately try to escape his hold, pushing everything I have against him.

But it does nothing. He keeps me held with one hand against my back.

"Get. The fuck. Off me," I snarl. Never once opening my eyes.

I'm panting now, the exertion of my power and my absolute dread reaching a hysteria.

"Red, you're being a tad dramatic about—"

"DRAMATIC!" I screech, pushing against him again and again. "GET OFF ME! LET ME GO! Let me... Let me—"

My lungs burn. My chest tightens.

I can't catch my breath.

"Ge—" I try to speak. Try to push against him.

I can't.

I can't... I can't breathe.

I can't fucking breathe.

Finally, the touch upon my back falls away but it doesn't help. If anything, it makes everything worse.

Without his touch, in this state of panic, I can't feel anything.

My coils spiral out, searching frantically for something to calm my sudden frenzy. They latch onto Sai immediately. I feel them tugging him, urging him to touch me once more.

I try to pull them back but I'm not strong enough.

I feel like I'm suffocating.

My hands race to my throat, feeling my pulse beating erratically as I keep gasping, keep trying to fill my burning lungs.

"Hey, hey, listen to me Red." There's no teasing mockery, no hint of a smirk in his words, just pure concern. The feeling sinks into me, my coils relax around him. "I need you to listen to me, now. You're going to do what I say, OK?"

Then I feel him move, his warmth now hovering above me. Not quite touching. My power hums at the proximity.

"We're gonna breathe together. OK? Ready? One deep breath in."

I hear him inhale, feel his warmth as his skin nearly skims my stomach, taste his worry as he holds himself above me.

I take in a shuddering breath.

"Now, out."

He exhales and I copy, choppily.

"That's it, we're gonna do three more. Inhale."

We breathe in together. We breathe out together.

I feel his warmth as it seeps into me, eases the tightness in my chest, the burn in my lungs.

He's grounding me.

Sai is grounding me.

We keep breathing until my breaths fall back into a natural rhythm and my coils sink back into my skin.

We stay silent, listening to each other breathe. My fingers slowly loosen from my throat and I swallow before speaking.

"It wasn't a dream," I say without any expression.

"No, it definitely wasn't a dream, Red." He releases a soft, brief chuckle and my heartbeat picks up again.

"We... I..."

"We did," he confirms.

I take in another deep breath, hold it, then audibly exhale.

I feel his weight shift then, his stomach slowly lowering until it presses gently against mine.

I don't want to admit it.

I can't .

But his touch was never the problem. I liked when he touched me, this soft pressure only confirmed it.

And I know, if I open my eyes, he'll be right there.

"Open your eyes, Red." His voice is a soft murmur as he coaxes me.

I shake my head.

He chuckles, then lowers his voice. "Please, baby. Don't make me beg... again."

I wince, remembering exactly how he begged and my entire body heats in response.

"I'll open my eyes... if you swear to never talk about this again."

The heat intensifies, I think his markings must be flaring and I'm suddenly desperate to see it.

Then he lowers himself, I feel his markings pulse against my skin as his lips brush the shell of my ear.

"How about this," he whispers, "if you don't open your eyes, I'm going to keep you pinned to this bed. I'm going to keep touching you. And when the others come looking for us which—trust me—they will, I'll explain, in detail , why we never made it downstairs."

There's something wrong with me.

Something seriously wrong .

Because Sai's soft threat doesn't make me squirm in panic, no, it creates a deep heat in my belly that has my coils swirling with eagerness.

"So, what will it be, Red?" he murmurs.

We both know the answer.

I slowly open my eyes, but I refuse to look up. I stare at the ceiling defiantly.

“Nuh uh,” he says, his fingers gripping my chin. "Look at me."

I scowl.

That wasn't a part of the deal.

But then again, I never thought I'd be making deals with an enforcer whilst I was practically naked beneath them.

I keep my scowl, narrow my eyes and finally tilt my head up.

His piercing blue eyes gleam as he stares down at me. "Good girl."

He smirks, staring into my eyes, studying them, before his gaze travels over the rest of my flushed face, then it dips lower.

I can’t help studying his face back, framed by soft, dark brown curls which are messier than usual. In the daylight once again, I can appreciate his ridiculously carved features, his smooth ivory skin and sharp jawline.

His dimples are prominent due to the sly smirk he’s currently sporting whilst his eyes keep searching. My chest heats when I realise what he's looking at, my robe is open, barely covering my breasts.

I quickly click my fingers near my face. “Hey, eyes up here!”

Slowly, his heated gaze travels back up to my eyes, and my chest tightens in preparation for his words.

“You didn’t care last night.”

I expected it, of course, but the sentence still ignites a burning in my body. A burning I try to smoother out, but I get distracted by the intricate markings covering his toned chest, curving along his neck and licking up at the edge of his jaw, emphasising the sharp edge I’m desperate to touch.

They glow gently under my gaze, somehow feeling, knowing, wherever I look.

Mesmerised, I follow the patterns down again, over his toned stomach, dipping lower still, noting, and feeling some disappointment, when I realise Sai isn’t as naked as I am. He's still wearing his suit pants.

I frown, and a sudden, heavy feeling stills in my stomach. I was so vulnerable last night, he had access to every part of me, did he even…

“You barely touched me and I came,” Sai suddenly admits, eyes piercing into me, his voice low and filled with heat. The sound sends another wave of desire crashing into me. “Imagine what it’ll be like when—”

I squeeze my eyes shut and hold up a hand to silence him, he complies but barely manages to contain his muted laughter whilst I furiously force away the images my mind is eager to conjure.

"We can never tell anyone about this." I drop my hand and slowly open my eyes, levelling him with a serious glare whilst he continues to look completely amused. " You cannot tell anyone. You cannot tell them. "

We watch one another as I try to ignore the swirl my stomach does at the mischievous look in his bright eyes.

I swallow, and say one more time, “You can’t tell them, Sai.”

The corner of his lip twitches and I can see he’s desperate to form some dickish remark.

“OK.”

It seems something is stopping him from being a complete smart-ass in this moment. My mouth literally drops open before I quickly shut it, the expression causes him to laugh and the sound makes something in my belly flutter.

I urge my brain to focus and manage to form some words but they rush out quickly. “That’s it, OK? You’re just agreeing with me?”

His grip tightens around me, easily tugging me back so our lips are almost touching. I swallow as his sight locks with mine.

“Red, baby, I’m a dark fae, I’m selfish by design,” he begins, his bright gaze fixed with mine. “You should know by now that we always want something, I always want something. I never agree to anything without an ulterior motive, I never do anything without getting something in return…” His words trail off as his eyes sweep over my body again, one hand begins to trace long, leisurely lines along my outer thigh as his eyes hungrily devour everything they see.

My skin tingles everywhere. I don’t move, I don’t even protest, I simply watch until his burning gaze locks with mine again.

“So, ask me." His irises flare. "Ask me what I want.”

I take a deep, shuddering breath.

I try to cool the electricity building beneath my skin as I focus upon Sai’s penetrating stare. My fingers press into his chest and the markings there pulse brightly.

“What do you want, Sai? ”

I didn’t need to say his name, but the way his markings suddenly spike in intense waves, his eyes hazing over slightly, makes the dark part of me thrive.

His markings darken, eyes bleeding out into a deep, inky blue and his voice dips into a melodic husk which has my own power surging, my heart pounding.

“I want to hear all those sounds you made last night whilst my fingers were inside of you again. I want you to remember how I made you feel when you came. I want to keep you in this hotel room for hours, days, as you scream my name. I want to fuck you right now, in this bed, on the floor, against the walls, knowing they’ll hear every. Single. Thing. And want you just as badly.”

Holy fuck.

My entire body becomes a live wire, our lips a hairsbreadth away.

His sinful words ignite the darkest parts of me, the parts which want to be possessed and owned, that thrive at the thought of this powerful, dangerous creature being so desperate to have me, wanting me.

“But for now…” His eyes return, his dark expression forming back into his regular smirk, fingers sweeping along my clavicle. “I’ll keep quiet. I’ll decide what my silence costs after our visit to the Council.”

That shatters the heat coursing through my veins.

I tense, pushing back quickly and finally slipping away from Sai’s grip. I sit on the edge of the mattress and take a final, deep breath as I stand up.

I urgently tighten my robe around me and run an anxious hand through my messy hair before facing him again.

All the while, Sai watched me calmly from bed. His gaze continues to admire my body as his power sweeps over me in a gentle caress.

“Stop that,” I snap, searching the room and quickly finding the bag from Alexis.

My heart sinks at the thought of her, imagining what she must be going through, the worry she must be feeling whilst I was busy in bed with the enemy. I clutch the bag and narrow my gaze at the dark fae, his smug smile is in full force as he studies me.

“I’m going for a shower,” I state, eyes narrowed as I watch him still led there, on his side, propped up by his elbow, a smile etched into his annoying, gorgeous, face. “You need to leave.”

His smile only widens at my command .

I scowl at him, waiting for the battle to commence. When he completely disappears.

I frown whilst staring at the empty bed, still slightly dented in his memory, wisps of blue lingering before they simply slip away into the air.

My power senses him before I do, bursting around me in a cover of mist. He reappears, towering over me and I instinctively back up until I’m against the wall. I internally curse myself for retreating, before gazing up at his smug face and piercing eyes.

“Or I could join you,” he suggests, his voice low, one brow arched in a silent challenge.

He places an arm against the wall beside me, leans in and his power surrounds me. My body hums at the contact and I barely contain a sigh as his eyes dip to my lips.

I grip the bag like a lifeline and pull it up to my chest in attempt to create some space.

"You're insane," I whisper in disbelief. Did he seriously think I'd let him touch me again?

His eyes move from my lips, to the bag between us, and back up again, amusement clear in his bright gaze as his fingers move to grip the strap.

This is what he enjoys. The chase. My unease.

"That wasn't a no," he says, leaning in closer.

I mentally prepare myself to respond with something witty and brilliant, when his voice shatters my composure.

“Tell Sai to drop his barrier.”

My eyes widen, power flaring at the intensity in that simple command.

Sai’s eyes flicker over my face, instant realisation filling his gaze, and a sudden laugh erupts from him that has me flinching.

“What did he say?” he asks, grinning mischievously, fingers falling away from the bag.

I frown slightly as I answer, “He wants you to take down your barrier. Why did you put a barrier…”

His wolfish smile combined by his tongue running over his bottom lip instantly answers my fragmented question. I feel the flush running across my chest as I stare up at him, slightly shaking my head.

His eyes widen innocently, holding a hand up before me, blue markings lining his palm and emitting a small pulse. “Hey, I just thought you wouldn’t want an audience, next time I’ll—”

“There won’t be a next time,” I interject, sharply. My hard gaze fixed upon his smug expression.

“Did he sound mad?” Sai eagerly asks, dropping his hand and ignoring my previous statement .

Is he serious? His eyes gleam as he awaits my response, I stare at him, dumbfounded. “I guess?”

A wide grin splits across his face. Those fucking dimples. I hate how they make my heart thud and power swirl.

I glance away to catch my breath but I’m pulled back by his fingers gently gripping my chin, tilting my face up to his as he stares down.

“Our previous arrangement still stands, Red.” His thumb brushes over the curve of my lower lip. My gaze instantly softens at the touch, until his words register. The moment they do, he sees it in my expression and his deadly smirk returns. “No touching, at all. Do you understand?”

I scowl at him, gritting my teeth as I try to pull away. He easily keeps his grip, softly pushing me flush against the wall again, his chest brushing mine as our powers surge for dominance.

“Say it,” he demands, his voice rumbling in warning, eyes flashing a deeper blue. “Tell me you understand or I’ll tell them everything. Every little noise you made, the way you begged without words, how you made me come just by your sounds and that perfect ass grinding up against me. Every. Thing. ”

His eyes flare, black pupils bleeding into his piercing irises, so bright they almost create their own light. Power crackles around us, my own eyes barely maintain their form, a mixture of anger and desire pulsing through me.

My jaw grinds together, I can feel the tension in my body at the urge to refuse him, to push him back, send my power barrelling into him but I also feel the heat rising over my body, from his proximity, but mostly, terrifyingly, from the thought of him describing every single detail to them .

“I understand,” I say, quietly, the words lined with malice as I sneer up at him.

“Good girl.” The phrase is a quiet, poisonous, caress as his gaze sweeps over my face before landing back on my mouth. The pad of his thumb pulls at my lower lip as he slides it away.

That small touch and praise has my body flaring with need again and I despise myself for it. As though sensing my turmoil, he delivers another punishing, salacious, smile—dimples reappearing—one full of smug haughtiness at his control over me .

I flick out my fingers, sending a sudden pulse of darkness into his chest but rather than making him stumble away, it seems to bleed into him, feed him, which only angers me more.

But his hand finally falls from my face and, before I can be trapped again, I grab the bathroom’s door handle, almost ripping it off as I pull it open and storm inside.

I slam the door shut in his face. Feeling complete and utter embarrassment that my small act of defiance failed, if anything, it seemed to increase the tension between us.

“Don’t forget, if you even try, I’ll know, Red” he says through the door, a light, jovial tone to his voice as I glare in contempt at what I imagine would be his face and stick up my middle finger.

His soft laughter slips under the door frame, until it cuts away abruptly when he leaves.

The sudden release from his power makes my knees weak, and my power blooms, desperate to seek him out again. I focus extremely hard in that moment, remembering to imagine my power as threads as I mentally pull them back, piece by piece, and coil it into myself again.

After a few more calming breaths, my power remains inside, bubbling, but it’s there.

For now.