Chapter 37
NICK
A tumultuous black rage engulfs my vision, fire licking my veins. The beast inside me thrashes, gnawing at the bars of its enclosure. I have a mind to set it loose, to tear Argos limb from limb and bathe in the bloody mess I leave behind for touching her.
The sight of him straddling her, her upper thighs exposed as her onyx dress bunches toward her waist, of hearing her whimpered cries and pained gasps as she struggled to break free from his hold on her—it’s enough for me to not only destroy the Demon who dared touch my wife, but to burn this entire fucking realm to ashes for the simple fact that he calls it home.
Whatever magic Argos used to subdue Rhi’s monster also bound our telepathic connection, yet I could still feel her.
Her fear. Her desperation. Argos had left the meeting with the Umbra Court early, citing a disruption in one of the ports of the Emerald Isles he needed to attend to.
As soon as the first strike of Rhi’s fear lanced my chest, I ran, knowing beyond a shadow of doubt that Argos was the cause.
The bastard takes his time climbing off Rhi, an eerie calmness about him. I stalk towards the Demon, putting my body between him and my wife.
“Your Highness, what a pleasant surprise. I was just helping myself to your whore, as I’m sure you know is custom.”
Rhi chokes behind me. I don’t contest his claim, because it is unfortunately true. I know my father shared many of his mistresses with Argos, the one exception being my mother, because Lucifer never allowed her to set foot in this realm.
“Not my whore, Argos.” I’m practically breathing fire. “My wife.”
Morbid delight simmers in my blood as his already pale countenance drains of blood.
“Impossible,” he protests. “You don’t have the approval of the Umbra Court for such a marriage. And since you have clearly forgotten, you are betrothed to my daughter.”
“The Umbra Court operates on majority rules, for which I secured the necessary votes. And since you have clearly forgotten—” I crowd his space, towering above the Demon as I grasp his fragile throat, “I am the fucking Devil, Argos. The arrangement to marry Isa was my doing, not yours.” I squeeze tighter, relishing the way his black eyes crawl with fear.
“I have known every little dark thought that has crowded that puny brain of yours, including your desire to throw a coup against me.”
At once, blood pours from every visible orifice, coating his already bloodied face entirely onyx.
“H-how?” he gargles as I force blood into his lungs and down his throat.
Isa’s soft footsteps sound behind me. “Hello, Father.”
I press into his throat harder, his windpipe crunching beneath my fingers. “Isa has been my spy since the day we announced our betrothal.”
Argos’ black eyes narrow over my shoulder, his focus on his daughter. “You vicious bitch,” he wheezes.
I shatter his windpipe with one more hard press of my fingers and drop him to the floor. Turning, I find Isa standing next to Rhi, both women with cold, unforgiving stares lasered on the Demon at my feet.
“Make him suffer,” Isa says. “But leave his last breath for me.”
“Gladly,” Rhi answers with a devious smirk.
Isa walks out of the room, and Rhi follows close behind her, turning the lock in place once Isa leaves.
“Sorceress,” I call out to her, “are you able to draw venom?”
Rhi parts her mouth, flashing me those stunning, elongated fangs. I remember once wondering what they looked like, and now, not only do I get the honor of feeling them pierce my skin when she comes all over my cock, but I have the privilege of watching those fangs tear a grown man in half.
She runs her tongue over her pointed teeth, the edges of her mouth tipped up wickedly. Then, she swallows. “Yes.”
“Good.” I nod, my own sinister smile parting my mouth, and I crook my finger in a ‘come here’ motion. “One more question.”
Rhi arches a chocolate eyebrow, that nefarious slant of her lips widening as she obeys my command. When she is close, I lean forward and run my tongue over the shell of her ear.
“Are you hungry?”
“Yes,” she whispers, her body shuddering as I drag the pads of my fingers down her arm.
I step to the side, revealing a cowering Argos at my feet. He gropes blindly in front of him, his eyesight obscured as black blood steals his vision.
Rhi kneels before him, gently cupping his cheeks like she would a lover.
Argos whimpers, his hands grasping at her arms and her hair.
A warning growl thunders inside my chest, but Rhi does the strangest thing.
Her thumbs caress Argos’ cheeks, and she soothingly shushes him until the whimpering ceases.
And then, with sickening gratification, I realize she is playing with her food.
Sure enough, her jaw slowly elongates, the snap and crackle of bones causing Argos to stir in her arms. Rows of fangs visible, saliva tipping over the edge of her lips and down her chin—to anyone else, the sight would be horrifying. Grotesque. A vision from their darkest depths of their nightmares.
To me, she is breathtaking.
Without warning, Rhi launches herself at Argos, sprawling his helpless body on the floor.
She tears into his neck, his screams a welcome, unholy symphony.
I watch in awe as Rhi feasts, her black claws digging into his shoulders, holding his trembling body in place.
She unlatches her mouth from Argos’ neck, a large, gaping hole where his shoulder and neck join, black blood spilling from the opening like a fractured oil tank.
Rhi inhales deeply and runs a long, black tongue over her bottom and top lip. My cock stiffens at the sight of her, of this incredible woman with a vicious monster beneath her skin, beautiful in all her terrifying glory.
Rhi catches my eye, her own reptilian and slitted. “Do you want some?” The sultry lilt to her voice has the beast in me hungry not only for a taste of flesh, but for the sweet pussy between her legs.
First, though, I’ll indulge with her.
I join Rhi on the opposite side of Argos’ body, his limbs twitching as Rhi’s venom sets in and paralyzes him completely. She watches me with hooded eyes, a ravenous glimmer in their monstrous hue.
Keeping my eyes locked on hers, I let my own jaw elongate, savoring the sharp snap of bone as it breaks free from its binding. My gums shift to make room for my seven rows of fangs, and I flash my wife a twisted smile before I dive into the left side of Argos’ neck.
Demon blood is more bitter than human blood and certainly nothing like the sweet nectar of god blood.
Still, I let it wash over my tongue and groan as I tear pieces of Argos’ flesh from his body, moving my mouth from his neck down to his shoulder.
I growl as I rip the skin right down the bone, indulging in the smoky flavor of the muscle.
My attention shifts toward his slow-beating heart, and my nostrils flare as I drag my mouth from his shoulder and hover over his chest.
“Ah. Ah,” Rhi gently scolds. “He is probably near death, so we must save him for Isa.”
My eyes snap to her face, my monstrous mouth twisting into a snarl at being told ‘no.’
She lashes out with a clawed hand, grasping my unnaturally widened jaw between her fingers.
“Don’t fucking growl at me.” Though her mouth is now its normal size, her fangs hang long and sharp, blood still coating her full lips and tongue. It drips down her chin and coats her neck, drizzling down between her luscious breasts.
I don’t give a fuck about eating Argos anymore.
I reach forward and haul her to me. She gasps as she straddles my lap, her bare pussy rubbing against my rigid cock.
My mouth shifts to my human form, and I waste no time devouring her.
My lips crash against hers, my tongue prying her mouth open with a dark dominance, demanding entry.
Like the good girl she is, Rhi’s mouth parts immediately, meeting me stroke for stroke, the taste of blood and carnal pleasure heavy on her tongue.
She pushes my jacket from my shoulders and pulls the white shirt apart. As she reaches for the laces of my pants, I slip my hand between her legs.
“Always fucking dripping for me, sorceress,” I say against her mouth. Rhi groans as I slide two fingers inside her with ease, and I let out a low hiss when her hand dips beneath the top of my pants and strokes my cock.
“How do you want it?” I curl my fingers inside her, gripping her hip as she rides my hand. “Like last night?” Her fingers tighten on my shoulder. “Slower?”
Rhi bites her lip, sending my nerves into a chaotic frenzy. “I can still feel you from last night, but I don’t care.” She moans, clenching my cock tighter in her palm, her strokes quickening. “I want to feel you tomorrow and the day after that.”
“Then ride me,” I grind out before leaning forward and sinking my sharp teeth into the crook of her neck.
Her candied skin tastes of salt and honey, the underlying musky and floral scent of jasmine flooding my nostrils.
My body feels full of her, my brain completely overwhelmed by her scent, her taste, her fucking moans, and I’m not even inside her yet.
“Ride me so I can watch your face while you come, and I’ll make sure you feel me between your legs for weeks.
” The desperation in my voice is tangible, a throaty growl pushing past my lips as Rhi rises on her knees.
I slide my fingers out from inside her, only for Rhi to grip my cock and sink slowly down, inch by tortuous fucking inch.
“Fuck.” I can barely hold it together at the sublime feel of her, at the way her clawed hands come to my chest and push me down to my back as she takes control.
My own hands glide up her thighs and settle in the curves of her waist beneath her dress, the onyx fabric pooling on either side of us like black wings.