The Inferno

Chapter 34 The Painter

I t wasn’t fine.

Sai was actually a brilliant tour guide. He enthusiastically discussed the rooms of the house and had me almost laughing at the anecdotes he sometimes shared.

He hadn’t once touched me. Not even a brush. And although a part of me was grateful, another part, a darker part, was beginning to build.

Everything was fine, until the final room.

“You each have a space just for your hobbies?” I query, repeating back Sai’s words as we reach the last stop. The recreational rooms. Thankfully, he didn’t mean bedrooms.

“Being an enforcer can be a lot… for some people. For us, it’s the darkness it brings out of us. It can be hard to contain sometimes, especially after a particularly hard case.” He doesn’t elaborate and I don’t push as we walk down the sunlit corridor. “We don’t get a lot of ‘leisure time’. This was all Ezekial’s idea honestly.”

“Is his job easier?”

Sai’s laughter fills the air, he’s in front and doesn’t once turn back to look at me. It’s infuriating.

“His is the worst, but he’s good at it,” he adds, reaching the end of the hallway and bringing us to a row of doors. “You pick, which one first?”

I think my decision is random, I tell myself it is, but when I step forward, passing Sai and heading towards the second door, I know it’s his room.

The air is practically electric as I enter, sizzling and crackling, running over me in a deep hum which makes breathing difficult for a moment. When I have it under control, I nearly lose my breath again when I see the room.

Paintings.

He’s a painter.

I remember the canvas in the dining room, the abstract piece with vivid lines and see similar ones here. There are other styles, landscapes, portraits, all scattered around in some type of organised chaos.

Tubes of paint decorate the room, half curled from use, and I nearly step on one but manage to tiptoe over it .

“You’re a painter,” I say, the words filled with an awe I don’t try to hide.

“I sketch too, sometimes, but I prefer paint,” he adds. No teasing, no sexual undertone, but a sliver of joy runs over me.

I’d always wanted to be artistic. I’d watch Ferne draw amazing charcoal sketches of plants, shading and transforming a blank piece of paper into something unique, permanently changing it. My imitations were nothing in comparison and I soon decided to focus upon the physical changes I could make in the gym.

You had to be born with the gift. One which Sai clearly had.

I stare at the canvas currently propped against the wall, abstract pastel colours not yet creating a shape but still captivating even in their infancy.

“They’re beautiful,” I say, gazing over other pieces before turning to seek him out. “You’re very talented, thank you for showing me.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asks, brows furrowing.

“Well, I—” I stumble over the right words, finding his gaze too intense. How he hasn’t even made an attempt to touch me has also put my nerves on edge. “I always thought art was a private thing. It can reveal a lot about someone.”

“Maybe I want you to know me.”

His words ignite a fire more than any others. He wants me to know him. Why? What would be the point?

Yet, with the way he’s intently watching me, I know it’s the truth and every part of me wants to move closer. But I force myself to stay still and turn to face another canvas.

“I wish I could paint.” I quickly change the topic, running my fingers over a pot of brushes, doing anything to avoid looking at him.

My power coils around me suddenly and I almost gasp when I feel how close he is. His hand now hovering over mine, his breath brushing the top of my head.

“I can teach you,” he murmurs, his words replicating his touch as they raise the hairs upon my neck. I bite my lip, his voice sending a rush of electricity through my bones which tenses every single muscle.

“Is that so?” I try to remain confident, aloof, but my tone has slipped into something raspier .

I decide to focus upon his hand instead but watching how his fingers dance with mine in the air, almost touching, just so… before he picks out a small brush and pulls it away.

“I can teach you so many things, Red.” Soft bristles trace the bare skin of my neck and my eyes instantly close.

Slowly, he runs the bristles upwards, tracing my skin in imaginary markings, to the very nape. I know he’s moved closer when there’s an audible crackle before a deep current runs over my body as his power connects with mine.

I release a sigh, unable to contain the feeling of relief, and his markings must flare in response because the crackling amplifies.

“We didn’t clarify the rules of the game.” His breath licks the shell of my ear and when he slides the soft bristles along my shoulder, all the way back to the top of my spine, I have to grip the side table to remain stable. “Touching: allowed or—”

Even just saying the word ‘touch’ has my mind conjuring images in rapid succession, I feel my skin burn bright red as I spin round to interrupt.

“No, not allowed…” My words slip into a whisper when I see his face, so close, his irises a blur of black and blue.

I’d only need to edge forward, just push onto the tip of my toes, to press my lips to his.

“I see,” he murmurs, a smirk playing with his lips, his taunting voice lined with darkness. “So this…”

He takes slow, deliberate steps forwards and I cautiously retreat, maintaining the close distance which is still barely an inch.

“This, is OK?” he questions, his teasing tone and playful gaze making it difficult to breathe as he takes another step. And another. Until my hands fall back for support and find the edge of a desk. “And this…”

I nervously watch as he holds the paintbrush between his fingers and delicately places the bristles upon my bare chest, just above the swell of my breasts, in the centre.

“This isn’t touching.” His eyes stay locked with mine, the black seeping into the blue, infecting the brightness and bringing a darkness into every single word.

He begins to sweep the brush down, over the fabric of my tight t-shirt, between my breasts, before reaching my bare stomach .

My fingers push into the wood behind me, clinging to it in desperation to maintain control. His eyes continue to darken and darken, until there’s barely a wisp of blue remaining. The brush only stops moving when he reaches the hem of my leggings.

I hold his gaze, and my breath, simultaneously.

“I need you to define touching for me.”

Just when I thought he couldn’t be any closer, he leans forward, placing one hand upon the desk behind me, beside my curled fingers. His other sweeps the brush along the small sliver of bare stomach in a slow caress.

I lean back, edging up onto the desk to create more space. “I…”

But he instantly erases it, ensuring his lips are the closest they can be without actually touching mine.

“Please, Red.” His soft plea sinks into me, the very sound coaxes me to listen, urges me to respond. “Tell me your definition.”

“Skin to skin,” I whisper, breathless, lost in his stormy gaze and the pure need dripping into me.

In response, he smirks. “Ah, I see.” Then he lowers his head. “So, if it’s lips to skin.” Before I realise what he’s doing, his lips place a feather-like touch upon the skin of my shoulder. “It isn’t touching.”

I shudder, the sensation racing through me like lightning and my power spikes into the air violently.

His lips begin to trail across my shoulder as he murmurs, “Right?”

I can’t respond, every ounce of my being is focused solely on the feelings he’s creating, the feel of him and his power as it entwines with mine.

“Or this.” His breath upon my throat is the only warning I have before he kisses me there, again, and again, measuring my response after each kiss with a small pause before he moves upwards.

Power floods the room, so thick every inhale creates a deep vibration within me, my own power blooming and feeding upon the new energy.

When his lips skim my jaw, I realise my eyes have shut and I force myself to open them just as his face moves before mine.

“Or this,” he whispers, irises consumed entirely, so dark I can almost see myself there.

And when his lips brush over mine, I don’t even try to refuse him .

Somehow, we manage to stick to our rule. I hear the soft clatter of the brush as his hands cage me in on the desk, but they don’t touch, only our lips do.

His soft kisses continue, seducing me to submit, urging me to reach out and pull him to me. And I want to, my Goddess do I want to feel him, but I also don’t want to take responsibility for the emotions currently engulfing me.

“Get out of your head,” he whispers between hungry kisses but I barely manage to gaze at him because his eyes pull at my darkness too much. “Be here, with me.”

“I can’t,” I breathe and the admission makes him halt. “We can’t do this.”

His intense sight slices into mine and my heart races at the pure dominance radiating from him. When I try to break the contact by turning my head, the room suddenly descends into darkness.

There’s a tight grip upon my jaw. It takes me a moment to register what he’s just done, until my entire body reacts to his touch and my skin feels like an electric current that only he can touch.

“You’re touching me,” I whisper, entranced by the aura permeating from him. There are violet crackles sparking around us, emphasising everything I feel. “But the ga—”

“You think I give a fuck about the game?” Darkness layers his voice, doubling it. The stern tone is strange when mixed with my nickname but his grip, the way his eyes burn into mine, make it clear this isn’t the Sai I’m used to. “You’re finding any excuse to stop this, forcing yourself to—”

“What do you expect me to do!” I interrupt, harshly. He wasn’t expecting that, the deep furrow between his brows and the slight flinch of his fingers indicating I’d caught him off guard. “Just act like this is all OK? Like this is normal? I should be furious at you, at all of you, for what you’ve done to me, what you’ve put me through! But instead I’m…I’m...”

I shake my head and try to focus upon the things I really needed to say before facing him again.

“You’re an enforcer. You’re my enforcer. This shouldn’t— this can’t— be happening.”

He doesn’t move.

I think he’s listening because his eyes are intently focused upon my lips before dragging them away to meet my angry gaze. I feel the flush in my cheeks when the flashes of blue hit his irises and his lips tilt ever so slightly.

“Say that again.”

I frown. “Which part? This cannot happen, this—”

“No.” His gently shakes his head, and when a dark curl falls over his brow, I have to bite my lip at the tingling running through my fingers. “When you said I was your enforcer.”

I feel my eyebrows dip even further, hearing the edge of his words becoming hoarse, needy, like he’d do anything in this moment if I did as he asked.

“You’re my enforcer, wh—”

I’m lifted onto the table, my feet unable to touch the floor as Sai’s body slots between my legs and his mouth captures mine, mid-word. My eyes flare in annoyance, for barely a second, before they close and sink into his touch.

“Stay with me, Red,” he pleads, his voice filled with need and desperation as his lips descend upon my throat again. “Don’t ignore your instincts, feel this, feel me, feel us .”

My hands finally leave the table and eagerly latch onto him, wrapping around his neck as he releases a satisfied groan against my jaw.

The air audibly crackles and his words dance around my mind. Feel us. It’s all I can hear as he pulls me even closer, placing his hands beneath me and hauling my body to him.

“We shouldn’t,” I moan, but my lips are trailing his throat. I’m desperate to feel his flickering markings beneath my tongue and his body shudders.

He tugs sharply on my hair to pull my face back in line with his. “Stop denying this.”

The quick shot of pain combined with his words intensifies everything .

“Just this once.” I feel my eyes bleed black as I stare at Sai, at the man I desperately want, need , and the same emotions are reflected back in his inky stare.

“I’m not stopping, Red, do you understand?” His voice is plagued with a thick, coarseness I barely recognise. If it wasn’t for the nickname it would be completely alien, but it sends a thrill through my body knowing I’m making him lose control, that he’s barely holding it together because of me. “Tell me you understand.”

I think I nod, I do some type of head gesture before I try to close the distance again. He allows me, for a moment, my teeth pulling at his bottom lip when he forcibly pulls me back.

“Words, Red.” There’s a soft rumble to his voice, the edge of laughter, his enjoyment at how much I want him. “For the things I’m going to do to you, I need to know you understand.” He holds me back once more, halting my lips with a finger which I pout around. “You’ll be mine, Red. In so many ways. Tell me you understand.”

“Yes.” It’s barely a whisper, but it’s there.

“Fuck,” is he stunted reply, before I’m dragged off the table. I quickly wrap my legs around his waist but his hands beneath my ass keep me from falling.

His lips never leave mine as he moves, and I’m too focused upon how he feels, the way his markings pulse against my skin, to even notice when he lowers us onto some type of sofa.

I’m straddling him and when I feel how hard he is beneath me, I slowly grind into him, shuddering and gripping his shoulders to savour the sensation a moment longer.

“You’re killing me, Red,” he murmurs against my mouth and I repeat the same action, causing us both to moan and the room plunges into even more darkness. “Once won’t be enough, baby.”

His kisses become harder, nipping at my lips which struggle to respond with every slow push into him. I feel his fingers dip into the sides of my leggings and when I’m about to stop and help remove them, I feel a sudden pull, a tearing sound accompanying it, and my eyes widen.

He’s smirking as I feel the material fall away, one dimple appearing and the marking upon his throat pulses.

“You’re perfect” he suddenly says. His eyes, a violent flash of black and blue, hungrily travel over my legs, my underwear, before landing back on my face.

When I feel his fingers trailing my thighs, skimming the edge of my underwear, before they quickly move away again, I release a quiet, whiny sound. My skin flushes scarlet .

Before I can be embarrassed, his markings explode. All light in the room splutters away and we become bathed in only the violet glow he creates. The way Sai is looking at me makes it impossible to turn away.

“Tell me what you want,” he says, his voice drenched in a familiar darkness. Another hum runs through me at the sound. “Tell me.” His black gaze is fixated upon me, watching me as though I’m the only thing he sees, the only thing he’ll ever see.

“Touch me,” I barely whisper.

When I feel his thumb run over my underwear, right over the centre, my eyes flutter close and my powers coil around us. He slowly brushes, up and down, and I know I’m already there, right upon the edge, these small touches are all it takes.

“I’m sorry I left you needing for so long.” He’s closer now, his lips trailing along my throat and copying the same leisurely touches as his thumb. “You’re going to come just like this, aren’t you?”

I manage to nod against him and he rewards me by skimming my clit in several torturous brushes which have me panting.

“When you do, you’re going to look at me,” he murmurs against my throat, his tone thick with need which washes over me and puts me even closer. His other hand grips my ass and slowly pushes me into his thumb, the pressure makes my back arch as I lean into it.

“Look at me,” his command makes the air crackle, and I finally open my heavy lids to see his black gaze completely consumed and enamoured by me. Something deep, deep inside me unfurls at his expression, rushing through me and with another gentle brush, I come undone with a moan falling from my lips.

But his mouth clashes with mine, swallowing the sound as his thumb continues to trace over and over, elongating the sensation until I’m shuddering.

“That’s it, fuck. You’re the most stunning creature I’ve ever seen.” Sai’s sudden admission has me opening my eyes again, both of our breathing is erratic, gazes masked in lust, and it fills me with a sudden thrill to know he’s enjoying this, enjoying my pleasure alone, when I’ve barely touched him.

When I begin to trail my hands over his thighs, he suddenly clutches my waist, turning me until my back is against his cold chest plate and pushing me upright onto my knees with him right behind me .

One hand is grasping my ponytail, the other is on my stomach and slowly lowering.

“Oh no, Red. You’re not done yet,” he murmurs against my throat. I can picture the smile on his lips and the pulsing of his marks and it only makes me sink into him more.

When his fingers slip under my underwear and begin to slowly slide into me, I still. “But I’ve just—I can’t.”

His thumb is back over my clit and I shudder at how sensitive it is, just as he slides one finger into me. “But you can,” he says, as he continues to slide in and out, brushing my clit at the same time and creating a deep burn in my stomach.

“Pick a number, Red,” he murmurs, nipping at the skin of my jaw, he keeps his slow pace inside of me.

I hear him, but I’m too busy trying to stop myself coming again, desperate to show him I have some control over my body even when I’m moaning like a desperate woman.

“A number, Red.”

“Four,” I splutter. I feel him smile against my throat and when he adds another finger, I gasp.

“Good girl, but I was thinking five,” he says, his words a deadly whisper in my ear. “How many times do you usually come, Red?”

“What?”

He suddenly stops his movements, his fingers sliding out and his thumb just resting upon my clit.

“How many times do you usually come?” he repeats, humour tinting his voice as I whine from his lack of touch. “Answer me, Red.”

His thumb brushes over me again, coaxing me, gently bringing me back to my heated bliss as I formulate an answer. “Once.”

“Only once?” he echoes, the incredulous tone making me break away from the moment.

Sai senses my reaction, feels the tensing of my body and his markings instantly react, pulsing vibrantly and sending a sensual vibration through every part of me. His fingers slipping back into me elicits another moan as my power surrounds us again.

When he’s happy I’m lost to him again, he continues in a deep rasp, “Even when you touch yourself?”

I nod, barely maintaining the conversation as I’ve begun to follow the rhythm of his fingers and move with him .

“That’s a fucking tragedy. We’ll try three today,” he murmurs, his voice needy again, his lips running along my throat. “Open your eyes.”

It takes me a moment, but I do it, seeing nothing but darkness until his markings pulse. Upon the wall, is a large mirror, leaning against the wall and allowing me a full view of what Sai is currently doing to me.

I nearly come just at the image.

At some point, my underwear was removed and added to the pile of ripped fabric on the floor. Now, I can see his hand as it slowly pumps in and out of me, his thumb over my clit and his other hand under my shirt and clasping my breast.

His mouth places another searing kiss upon my throat before meeting my gaze in the mirror, the sight is feral and my power causes the room to dip back into darkness again.

Violet light erupts once more. “Look at us, Red.”

And I do, because I can’t see anything else, I can’t feel anything but him, us , and, in this moment, I’m completely lost to it. Our eyes are consumed by darkness, bodies covered in the glow his markings provide and I’m so close I can barely keep my eyes open.

“Fuck, if only I could keep you like this…” His sensual words trail off for a moment, but his touches never stop. His fingers continuing to tortuously edge me, bringing to me the cusp of a climax before slowing once more. “We look so good together, baby. And if you want to come, I need you to look.”

I don’t even hesitate, forcing myself to stare back into the mirror, at our reflection, seeing the dark coils of my power wrapping around us both like chains, bounding us physically together.

When our gazes finally lock again, I can’t hold back any more and when I climax, I watch, seeing the shivering of my legs barely managing to keep me upright and how Sai devours the sight like a starving predator.

“That’s it, baby,” he whispers, placing soft kisses against my jaw whilst he removes his fingers and allows my body to completely sink into him.

I feel like I’m floating as Sai lays us down. I’m led over his chest, the cold armour an unexpected pleasure against my heated skin and I don’t want to move. I don’t even want to contemplate what happens next. I don’t think I want ‘next’ to arrive …

As though hearing my thoughts, Sai’s markings flare beneath me. I tense at the sudden light in complete darkness but quickly resettle when a familiar hum runs through me.

“Don’t do that, Red, you know we’re not finished,” he suddenly announces, a hand gripping my hair again to tilt my head up. His gaze is still an obsidian haze and my fingers grip his chest plate in response.

“Can you take this off?” I ask, unsure when I became so bold but internally screaming at the sudden request.

“Why?” His childish smirk accompanied by his demonic gaze should be off-putting, should be… but my heart races and I feel my powers seep out again.

“Maybe I want to touch you,” I answer, keeping his gaze and trying to steady my breathing.

My response causes Sai to still. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, only opening them again when he’s exhaled. “Red, if you touch me more than you already have… I’m barely managing to constrain myself here.”

I quirk a brow. “Well, what if I don’t want you to ‘constrain’ yourself?”

I feel his breathing quicken, with my hand against his chest, and the crackling air begins again.

“Red—”

“What if that’s my ‘favour’?” I interrupt, propping myself up on my elbows as his hand falls away from my hair. “Take it off, Crazy Eyes.”

He pushes himself up, leaning against the arm of the sofa as he stares down at me in clear disbelief. The edge of his lip pulls up as slivers of blue dance in his irises and he finally laughs.

“You’re something else, Red.” He shakes his head and I watch his dark curls as they fall over his face, I just manage to stop my fingers reaching out.

“I love it when you order me around,” he murmurs.

Any of my thoughts in response to his admission are soon cut off when I see him reach behind his back. I hear the unclasping of latches as he readjusts the armour before it releases. He quickly places it behind the sofa and I feel the blush flush over my chest and cheeks when I see his body clad in only a tight, black t-shirt.

A t-shirt he isn’t removing.

I frown and point towards it.

He smiles, a two- dimple smile, and my heart races again. “You only said ‘chest plate’, Red.”

“I’d like to add the t-shirt too,” I reply, keeping my tone and face matter of fact, this was just a simple transaction after all.

“Oh, Red.” One small turn and he’s leaning over me, his gaze turning darker as he lowers himself. “That isn’t how this works. I’ve completed my part of the favour and if you want extras, well, we’ll have to negotiate.”

His eyes flash in excitement over the word ‘negotiate’ and he watches my face for any change of expression.

“You want to negotiate?” I start, slowly nodding and making his smile widen. “Instead, I want compensation.” His smile drops and I sit up slightly. “You’ve destroyed two items of mine. Two expensive items if I remember rightly. So, I want the t-shirt. Now .”

He kisses me.

I’m so caught off guard I fall back but he closes the distance instantly, propping his elbows either side of me and gripping my face in both his hands. When he deepens the kiss, his tongue slowly seeking entry, mouth devouring mine, I kiss him back just as hard.

“Are you sure you’re not part fae?” he murmurs between kisses, meaning I have no time to respond because his tongue won’t allow it, but I don’t care. His body sinks into me and we both groan at the sensation.

When he slowly pulls back, hovering over me, we’re both gasping for air, foreheads and lips just touching.

“Does that mean you agree to my terms?” I whisper, softly pressing my lips to his as though sealing the deal.

He laughs against me and I try to hold back my smile, but I think he feels it when he kisses me again. “Definitely part fae with those manipulation tactics.”

Gripping the hem of his t-shirt, he quickly pulls and peels it off. My hands move without thought, but before I can touch him, or even admire him, his lips are back on mine and my hands are clasped by one of his above my head.

I can feel his bare skin against my stomach, the sensation much more powerful without clothing and the light his markings emit is intense even with my eyes closed.

The feeling is… euphoric .

The memory of waking in Sai’s arms, his markings surrounding me, flash in my mind but this is more, even partly naked, this is so much more.

When I feel a tug at my own t-shirt, all question of me being fae evaporates as I simply allow him to tear it off me. In reward, his lips trace the swell of my breasts, still clad in a sports bra. But it doesn’t stop his descent, pulling at the straps and cups until my breasts are bare to him and his mouth instantly latches onto the new skin.

“The pants,” I gasp out, feeling his tongue trace over my nipple. “I want the pants.”

He smiles against my skin and his markings pulse in quick succession. “We still have a prior agreement in place,” he explains, his voice rumbling against my skin, never leaving as they trail back up to my jaw. “Three, remember? You come for me one more time, Red, and I’ll consider your request.”

His words create a slight sting, and when I try to loosen my arms, and his grip tightens, the stinging amplifies. Not being able to touch him, being refused… but before I can recover from the reaction, he’s staring down at me.

“What was that?” he asks. His voice is dark again, just upon the cusp of anger, as he holds his weight above me. “That feeling, just now.”

I wet my lips, try to avoid his gaze but he grips my chin and pulls me back to face him. “Tell me.”

I swallow and force myself to look at him. “You don’t want me to touch you.”

It takes Sai a moment, possibly still lost in our lustful acts or the fact I’m practically naked, but realisation soon dawns upon his face, wisps of blue returning.

“You think I’m rejecting you?”

I don’t reply.

“I’m serious, Red, about what I said. I’m barely keeping myself controlled, and even just the thought of you touching me…” He takes a steady breath, irises darkening once more. “I’d be taken over by my darkness and you’re not ready for what comes then, not yet. But this.” He trails the back of his hand over my stomach. “Keeps it sated, for now. Touching you, watching you come undone, pleading for me, you have no idea the pleasure it gives me. ”

My heart pounds to his words as the feeling of sincerity washes over me. I still don’t respond and he watches me, his dark gaze studying my features for answers instead.

“What if…” I begin, but the pulsing of his markings, in reaction to my voice, make it difficult to continue.

Sai’s eyes have lowered to my mouth, the fingers upon my chin now cupping my jaw as his thumb rests upon my lower lip. “Go on.”

“What if I want that?” I ask, the words a dark, taunting whisper. I know I’m playing with fire but there’s something inside me urging me to do so, knowing Sai is scaling the edge of a knife which I’m so close to tipping over. “What if I want you to lose control?”

I watch as his black gaze drags upward to meet mine, his violet light darkening until there’s barely a hue of colour left and I shiver at the terrifyingly beautiful sight of him.

His other hand finally releases my wrists and moves to grip my hip, his thumb brushing the skin of my pelvic bone.

“You don’t know what you’re asking,” he replies, but his voice has twisted into something else, something which causes the coils of power deep inside me to spasm and tug, eager to reach out.

To connect; consume; control.

I cautiously begin to lower my arms, but he immediately catches the movement with his dark gaze. Suddenly, I feel a new constraint bounding my wrists, one which sends a pleasant crackle over my skin before his black eyes flash back to mine.

“No fair,” I mutter, pouting out my bottom lip like a petulant child, staring defiantly into the eyes of a dark fae who kills people with the click of his fingers. The barely-there smirk is the only thing linking Sai to this creature.

When he suddenly lowers himself, the feel of his hot body against mine, his dark markings smothering my stomach, chest and breasts, plummets me into a euphoric haze. I close my eyes at the feel of his darkness sinking into me, the sensation runs through me and loosens the coils inside.

“Look at me,” he orders. The same command he’d used multiple times before, now, it was barely recognisable.

I open my eyes. His thumb and forefinger now hold my chin as his lips hover mine .

“Soon, you will have all of me and I’ll give you anything you want, anything .” His emphasis upon that one word sends a gentle crackle along my spine and I gasp as his lips move to my ear. “But for now.” He slowly rolls his hips into me and my eyes rolls back. “I need you to come again for me.”

When he rolls into me again, his hardness hitting my bare core with heavenly pressure, I moan. My sound only makes his next movement more tediously slow as his mouth captures mine and I rock into him to relieve the pressure.

“That’s it, baby,” he hisses against my lips, and hearing his own pleasure only makes me rock against him more. I feel his fingers grip my hip, attempting to halt my movement. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

His admission, the needy tone of his voice, his hot skin against mine, it’s everything . I greedily latch onto his pleasure, amplifying every single sensation he creates but his bruising hold doesn’t relent.

“I know you want more, Red,” he murmurs, his lips nipping at my jaw as I’m pushed closer to the edge. “But so do I. Remember what I said to you in the hotel room? After that night?"

I’m too consumed by his touches to answer verbally, I can’t even nod as a crackle runs over my inner thighs. I whine at the sensation not reaching where I need.

“That night when you made me come by barely touching me, the way you gave yourself to me, rode my fingers like I was made for you,” his dark whispers conjure the sensual memory and I moan wantonly. The crackle over my thighs moves closer and he rocks into me again, harder, and I arch up into the sensation desperately.

“I’ll never get enough of this. I need to hear you come, I need to feel you, you’re so close.” He grinds into me again as the crackle from his power runs over my clit. “Come for me.” And his mouth devours mine.

The simultaneous sensations, his dark words, the erotic memories, the euphoric feelings. I’m amplifying everything , and they all collide at once.

He swallows every single sound which falls from my lips, my body trembling with the aftershock of a third orgasm, my heart hammering in my ears as he continues to kiss me, his hands gently holding my face as he does.

When he finally pulls away, he brings me with him, pulling me over his chest as his chin rests against the top of my head. His fingers trace patterns over my arms and back, my eyes become heavy as I sink into him.

“Do I get the pants now?” I mutter sleepily.

The soft rumble of his laughter runs through me. “Trust me, Red. I want nothing more than to have your hands all over me as I coax you into another orgasm.” Even now, upon the brink of sleep, his words cause my body to hum with need, enough that I’m able to open my eyes and watch the markings of his chest flare. “But… we’re not exactly alone any more.”

It takes a moment for my brain to digest those words, but when it does, my body tenses and my head shoots up to stare at Sai.

“What? Since when? Whilst we… No, you can’t be—”

“So, maybe I got a bit carried away and forgot the time.” His wicked blue gaze has returned, sparkling with mischief. My irritation quickly grows which only makes his prominent smirk stretch. “Come on, Red. Don’t look at me like that, not when you were just moaning bene—”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” I interrupt, glaring at his mouth as it slowly begins to shut and his teasing smile emerges once more. “Who is it and did they hear us?”

“You tell me, Red,” he replies, his sly smile never leaving as he studies my face. “I know you can feel us because, fuck , can we feel you.” His eyes flash then, sinking into an inky blue which makes my entire body hum and my gaze soften, reluctantly.

But he’s right. I can feel them. When they’re near, that is.

It’s instant, I don’t even have to try, the second I even think about feeling them the sensation rushes over me.

My stomach turns to lead.

Out of all of them.

It had to be him.

I shiver, my bones aching with the sudden chill encasing them and the cool brush of darkness soothing the heat Sai had created.

“Tell me he didn’t hear us.” I stare at Sai’s glowing chest, my heart pounding for so many reasons as I watch his markings pulse.

“Would it be so bad if he did?” Sai’s question has my bulging eyes racing to meet his, my expression is one of utter horror.

I can practically feel the blood draining from my face at the very thought of Kane hearing my whines and pleas. My heart races .

“Are you fucking serious?” I angrily whisper, scowling at Sai who continues to smirk at my utter embarrassment. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you stop when—”

“Oh, there was no way in hell I was stopping.” He grins as his fingers trail over my back and I desperately ignore how much the feeling calms my racing heart. “I did put a barrier up though, well, I didn’t really have a choice. When Kane arrived, dark Sai was here and, well, he wasn’t in the mood to share.”

I close my eyes and allow that small relief to wash over me. Sai laughs softly at my action and when I look at him again, his eyes have returned to their playful blue, his fingers still caressing my skin with invisible patterns.

“Dark Sai?” I query, trying to stop the small smile playing with my lips. “Surely, you could create a better nickname than that?”

“I guess I should ask the queen of nicknames, what was I again? Bright Eyes? Crazy Fae?”

I can’t help but laugh, watching his eyes devour the action until I respond, “OK, I get it. But with that logic, should I start calling you ‘Blue’?”

“You can call me whatever you want, Red. As long as it comes from your lips,” he murmurs, his voice slipping into the darkness I fondly remember, and my cheeks heat. “As long as I can touch you like this.” His other hand sinks into my hair, pulling me up and against him. “And this.”

His lips gently skim over mine, barely touching, the air crackling around us in trepidation.

“Should we try for a fourth? I thought I could wait but I’m desperate for you.”

His heated kiss almost has me agreeing and when his tongue sweeps against mine, I nearly submit, but the cooling sensation brushing over me won’t be ignored.

“We can’t.”

When Sai feels me pulling away, he lifts me so I’m straddling him, his blinding gaze and markings casting us both in a vibrant glow. He leans his forehead against mine.

“I want to taste you so badly.” His voice is almost a groan and my heart begins to race again, my skin flushing at his admission. “The thought of you desperately trying not to make a sound whilst you come on my tongue, knowing that he’s near. Fuck , Red. Tell me you don’t want that. ”

Sai’s words are enough to paint a vivid picture that has body thrumming with anticipation. The fact that after three orgasms I’m still desperate for his touch is a terrifying realisation which helps to ground me, that and the coldness which has suddenly bloomed.

“That fucker,” Sai curses against my lips before kissing me, hard. When he pulls away, I have to place my hands against his chest to stop from falling forward. “I know when I leave, you’re going to start overthinking all of this.” He holds my face, urging me to listen as though I wasn’t already focused entirely upon him. “But I’ll happily play this game, every time, if it ends in me touching you like this.”

Before I can respond, he meets my lips in a slow, gentle kiss.

“Are all dark fae this good with words?” I ask in a drunken haze, staring in wonder at Sai.

“Only me, Red.” His grin widens, revealing both dimples, before he adds, “Only with you.”