Chapter 39 #2
I didn’t answer, but the thought lingered, twisting in my mind as he dissolved into the shadows, the smoke fading away.
Not a second later, the air split with a crack, and a bolt of lightning flashed through the room. Where it had struck, a rectangle piece of parchment had appeared. Even before I read the summons, I knew what it meant. I picked it up with a sigh.
Champion, you are hereby summoned to face an infernal trial in the Domain of Misery.
It was the very last trial.
My mind spun as I stepped out into the hallway, desperate to escape the silence of my chambers.
There was only one place I wanted to go.
The one person who could guide me towards the end game.
I followed the corridors until I reached Leander’s armoury. At the back, a faint golden glow slipped through a thin crack in the door.
Drawn to it, I shuffled through the gloom, and slipped into the light. I found myself in a warm, cosy library. Old books lined the mahogany shelves, and lounging on a velvet sofa was Leander, a book opened on his lap.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked, his voice smooth and seductive.
A piece of hair had fallen over his forehead, eyes glassy, shirt ruffled – it took my breath away. He was beautiful. I couldn’t deny it.
“I guess.” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care. “Am I intruding?”
“No,” he said, slamming the book closed. “You’ve come for my relic?”
I nodded.
“Enough with the games,” I said, though my voice wavered. “Just tell me how I can win it.”
Leander tilted his head, studying me. Then he waved a hand, and the world shifted again.
I was standing on a throne of molten gold, a fiery crown hovering above my head.
Tobias stood beside me, free and smiling.
The light was blinding, the air warm and inviting, and I felt an overwhelming power coursing through me.
It didn’t feel unnatural – it felt right, like I had always been destined for this moment.
“Give in to your temptation,” Leander said, his voice soft but insistent. He was behind me now, his presence steady and unyielding. “Face it. Accept it. Only then will you get my relic.”
The warmth in my chest swelled, blurring the edges of doubt in my mind. Tobias turned to me, his face alight with joy. My chest ached with a yearning so fierce it almost broke me.
But as quickly as it began, the vision blurred, and the golden throne and crown dissolved into nothing.
I was in the gardens of Temptation, surrounded by shimmering pools and blooming flowers, the air thick with the scent of jasmine.
“I don’t want a crown,” I said, laughing slightly. It was absurd. The idea of sitting on a throne, ruling Hell – it wasn’t me.
It couldn’t be.
Leander was standing a few feet away, leaning casually against a tree. He tilted his head, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I didn’t create that vision,” he said. “I’m only adding fuel to what is already there in your heart.”
My laughter faltered. His words were pointed, and I couldn’t shake the truth in them. Was that vision really mine?
Before I could respond, he waved his hand again. The soft scent of jasmine became stronger, tinged with something heady. The heat low in my stomach bloomed, spreading through me like fire.
Leander stood tall, his dark suit perfectly tailored, the fabric pulling taut across his shoulders with every slight movement. His eyes gleamed, their intensity unrelenting, and the corners of his mouth curved into a playful smile. He was beautiful, more than I wanted to admit.
I swallowed hard, and my throat suddenly tightened. My thoughts felt sluggish, muddled by the pull of his presence. The warmth in my stomach tugged at me like a current I couldn’t fight.
“What is that look on your face, Nina?” Leander’s voice was soft, his cobalt-blue eyes burning intensely.
I wanted to look away, to ignore the pull of his gaze, but I couldn’t. His power thrummed in the air, tempting and inviting, as though it were already a part of me.
“I don’t trust you,” I whispered, though my voice wavered. “I want you to tell me the truth.”
His grin softened. “You are deliciously demanding sometimes.”
My heart thundered in my chest, and before I could stop myself, I stepped closer. His gaze darkened further, his lips parting slightly.
And I kissed him.
Leander froze, his surprise breaking through his usual mask of confidence. He didn’t move for a heartbeat, and I thought I’d made a mistake. But then his hands found my waist, pulling me closer, and he kissed me back.
It was everything and nothing like I’d imagined.
His lips were warm and commanding, his movements consuming.
He tasted faintly of whiskey and cherries, the combination intoxicating.
His tongue brushed against mine, sending a shiver down my spine that I couldn’t suppress.
The garden dissolved, and we were suddenly in his chambers. He must have taken us here.
The world ceased to matter as Leander deepened the kiss, his touch gentle and possessive.
His hands moved along my waist, sliding up my spine, pulling me so close I could feel the steady rhythm of his heart against my chest. Every brush of his lips stoked the fire inside me, a warmth that spread through every inch of me.
His fingers tangled in my hair, tilting my head as his mouth moved to my neck, his breath hot against my skin.
My hands found his chest, the fabric of his suit smooth beneath my fingers, but it wasn’t enough.
I pushed the jacket off his shoulders, my movements frantic, desperate to feel more.
Next, I unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off him to reveal bare, rippled muscles beneath.
Leander chuckled softly against my neck, the sound vibrating through me. “You’re full of surprises, Nina,” he murmured, his voice a dangerous mix of amusement and desire.
His hands slid down, gripping my hips as he lifted me and pressed me against the wall.
Another surge of desire pulsed through me. I twined my arms around his neck and pulled him closer.
His mouth was desperate for mine. I leaned into him, curling my spine, my desire a raging fire that I ached to extinguish.
And Leander was the only one who could.
He pulled away slightly and twisted his hand in the air. “Are you sure you want to give in to your temptation?”
His magic faded, and the pulse that had been coursing through my veins receded with it, but the hunger he'd awakened refused to die. He was captivating and impossible to look away from. I was damned because I had never wanted anyone as much as I did him.
“You can choose me freely, Nina,” he said. “No games this time. It’s just you and me, right here.”
I sucked in a breath. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“I want you.”
Then his lips were on mine again. I felt his desire. It wasn’t the pull of his magic, that hungry heat he wielded so easily.
This was different.
This was a yearning stripped bare – a raw, human need.
His mouth was both sweet and consuming, leaving no room for fear, no space for thoughts of The Cycle or what came after. His hand slid into my hair, holding me to him as if he could keep the world from breaking apart. I clung to him, dizzy with the rush of it.
He pulled up my silk nightdress, leaving me naked before him. His breath caught as his eyes roamed my body. His hands were in my unbound hair once more, and his lips followed, kissing and groaning into my neck.
“Your desire is so pure,” he mumbled. “I’ve been dreaming of your body since I first saw you.”
His head dipped and his tongue explored my nipples, sucking and nibbling as they hardened against his mouth. The sensation sent a surge of goosebumps all over my body, and I shivered pleasantly.
“Your skin tastes sweet, baby,” he murmured. “Just like sunlight.”
Leander lifted me up, pulling my legs around his waist. His lips were on mine, hungry, ravenous. He carried me over to the bed, and laid me flat on my back, as he stared down between my legs. He bit into his bottom lip, and I nearly squirmed with excitement.
“So beautiful,” he purred. “So fucking beautiful.”
I’d never been praised before.
This was a first.
And I loved it.
I pushed myself up onto my elbows, and had the urge to pounce on him, trace my tongue over his defined chest. A grin appeared on his sensuous lips as I raised my eyes to his face.
No doubt I was utterly flushed and a bit sweaty.
I didn't care since all I wanted right then was to be devoured.
Leander unfastened his trousers, letting them fall to the floor to reveal his massive erection.
Heat rose deep in my belly.
Despite everything that had happened to me in Hell, the sight of Leander undid me. I was ready to surrender to the demon.
His lips were soft as he moved up my leg, kissing me, tasting me, teasing me.
He stroked his tongue on the inner part of my leg, where my brace usually sat, and a desperate whimper escaped from my lips.
He continued upwards, kissing my stomach, and then my breasts once more.
His mouth tightened over my left nipple, sucking it with the perfect amount of pressure.
How does a demon know how to touch like this?
My back arched, lifting into the pleasure, getting even closer to that delicious mouth of his. His hard cock pressed against my stomach, and his hands roamed my body, touching every inch of my flesh.
He’s taking this slow.
But I can't handle it much longer. I need him inside me.
His tongue pushed into my mouth, and I moaned into him, unable to stop myself. My body responded to Leander's touch. I could feel myself getting wet for him, and my clit throbbed.
“Is this what you want little Champion?” His voice was thick with lust.
“Yes,” I gasped. “I want you. I need you.”
He chuckled as his fingers slid down my body until he was cupping my sex. “Fuck,” he breathed. “Your pussy is so slick and ready for me, baby.”
Leander circled my entrance, then slowly inserted his finger inside. A sound escaped me, somewhere between a whimper and a moan. I welcomed his expert touch, as he stroked and worked me over. It was intoxicating being entered by him, and I savoured every moment of it.
He took my mouth in a deep, hungry kiss, as he slid his finger deeper into me. Then he worked in a second finger, and I pulled away from him to groan, and found his lips a little swollen.
Leander leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Tell me again, Nina.”
“I want you.”
“Again,” he demanded.
“I . . . I want you,” I gasped. “I need you.”
He drew back. I sunk my teeth into my lower lip, staring into his smouldering blue eyes. He held my gaze as he spread my legs wider.
“I’m going to ruin you, Nina,” he muttered.
Leander lined himself up with my entrance, and a fresh ripple of pleasure tightened in my core. He eased his cock inside of me, and I rolled my hips to meet him, my sex aching for him. He pushed further, stretching me, until he slid all the way in.
I sighed in relief, feeling unbearably full.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he growled.
Firm fingers gripped my hips, and he pinned me to the bed, rocking into me.
My walls tightened around him as he drew back.
He licked his lips, allowing the tip of his cock to rest on my entrance, before sinking back into me with a forceful thrust. I could feel my body clenching around his thickness, and I fought the climax that rose within me.
I wanted to stay in that glorious feeling forever.
Leander increased his thrusts, his breath quivering in my ear.
I writhed beneath him. "Leander," I cried as my head flung back. “Don’t stop.”
He released my hips, and gripped my chin. “Are you going to cum for me, baby?”
I moaned into his mouth as another shudder of pleasure rippled through me.
“Look at me, Nina.”
My eyes fluttered open.
“You belong here,” Leander said. “Nowhere else. Tell me you understand.”
“Yes,” I gasped. “I belong here. I understand.” It was all I could manage, as he pumped his shaft into me, driving me closer to that point of ecstasy.
He let out a low hum of approval, and the sound alone was enough to undo me. His shining gaze anchored me there, searing through every barrier I had built.
My entire body constricted as a soul-shattering orgasm hit me. I gave in to the throbbing waves of bliss. My screams set off Leander’s release, and he followed me, slipping over the edge into euphoria.