Chapter 12
MALICIOUS
One problem sorted.
Summer’s gaze darts between the coffee table and me, her face looking a little pale. I shift, leaning forward slightly. Her eyes find mine and hold as I say, “He looked at you. He watched you. He made you feel unsafe. He didn’t deserve his eyes.”
She blinks. “Wait. Eyes? Where’s the other one?”
Under his breath, Max says, “Bet on getting to top next time that he ate it.”
Vex chuckles.
I grin as I say, “I ate it.”
Max kisses Vex on the neck, whispering something.
Summer stares open-mouthed at me. “You ate it?”
I nod. “Yes. He didn’t deserve them, and I wasn’t about to waste the magic.”
She rolls her eyes dramatically, waving at the table. “So what, you saved that one for dramatic effect?”
“Exactly.” I lean forward, pluck the eye up, and pop in my mouth. She shudders, gagging. I don’t know what the big deal is. It’s not like I’m chewing on it like a grape. My magic simply dissolves the eye into power that I then absorb.
I realize the room has been quiet for a few minutes, and when I look at Summer, she’s staring at the little wet spot on the table. Leaning forward, I use my thumb to wipe it away. That seems to break Summer’s daze as she says, “Is he dead?”
“Do you want him to be dead?”
She pauses, which I appreciate. She’s actually thinking it through instead of saying what she thinks she should say. Shaking her head, she runs her hands through her hair. “No. I mean the petty, angry part of me says yes, but … no?”
Taking her hand in mine, I rub my thumb over her knuckles as the second alarm blares from outside. “Well, he was alive when I left him.”
She tilts her head at me, her eyes narrowing. “Explain.”
I grin, and for a moment I consider kissing her instead of answering, but I say, “After I removed his eyes”—I curl a wing into my lap, stroking the metallic feathers—“ I sliced into him. A shallow cut for every picture he had of you. As I said, there were a lot.” I meet her gaze, knowing there’s darkness in my eyes. I want her to see it. “My feathers were dripping with his blood.”
She swallows, holding my gaze. After a tension-held moment, I sit back with a satisfied grin, saying, “Then, I knocked him out and left him in his backyard. The scent of his blood will draw the monsters. Even if he wakes up before The Divide falls, he’s blind and has no idea where he is. As far as he knows, I left him in the middle of a field. Maybe he’ll get lucky and find his way to the safety of his house, but I’m hoping he doesn’t.”
Summer takes a slow, deep breath. Her skin is still too pale for my liking, so I add, “Do you want me to go back? I can toss him into his house. Behind his blood-carvings he’ll be safe from the monsters at least. I don’t think he’ll bleed out. Probably.”
She stares at me for several long moments before a tiny smile twitches her lips. “I mean, The Divide will fall any second now, and going all the way back seems like a lot of work …”
Throwing back my head, I laugh, and her melodic giggles join in. Max and Vex chuckle with us. As our laughter fades, the tension from earlier fades with it. Summer shakes her head, letting that motion travel down her body like a dog shaking water from its fur.
Settling into the couch cushion, she looks around at us with a little droop of her shoulders. “Okay. There’s too much in my head. This is … a lot.”
Max laughs. “Yeah. I get that. But I must say, you are taking all this quite well.”
Summer bites her lip, and I scoot closer until our knees touch. She doesn’t move away, and I nearly vibrate with joy. She says, “Ignoring the eyes for now … Okay, so monsters can live among humans without wanting to … eat us?”
My cock twitches, and Vex grins as they say, “Define ‘eat’.”
Summer blushes, and I squeeze her hand. “Yes. About half of monster species are higher beings. We can exhibit self-control, unlike the more animalistic species. Most of the time we don”t, but we can.”
Summer’s lips quirk in a smile as she nods, saying, “And you can come to the human realm even when The Divide is still up.”
As if on cue, the final siren blares, and The Divide falls. I nod. “Like I said, it’s easier during a time of power.”
“Like the summer solstice.”
“Exactly. It’s all about power. It takes an incredible amount of magic to fight against the pull of The Divide. Most monsters can’t even push through a finger or claw.”
She looks at Vex who shakes their head. “I could not.”
Summer’s gaze darts to Max then back to Vex. “And it’s your bond with Max that allows you to travel freely between realms.”
Vex and Max nod, then Vex adds. “Same for Paine.”
Ducking her head, Summer looks at our joined hands. “You said I was your … is that the reason for this … insta-lust?”
Vex, Max, and I all answer at once. “Yes.”
Summer nods. “Cool. Cool. Cool. Yeah. Cool. Okay. Yeah. I’m a witch. Monsters are bonding with humans. I’m … Mal is … Fuck.”
I think she’s starting to panic … or the panic is finally pushing through. Shifting a little closer, I lean over her, flaring my wings, shielding her from Vex and Max as I whisper, “Slow breaths, little sunshine. You’re doing great.”
She keeps her head bowed but looks up at me through her lashes. “You really took my stalker’s eyes.”
It wasn’t a question, but I nod anyway. “He screamed and begged as I burned the photos off the walls of his shed. He whimpered and promised me all sorts of things.”
“Pictures? How’d you get in? Were there no blood-carvings on the shed?”
There were not, and I couldn’t believe my luck when I found Henry in his unprotected shed and not in his shielded house. As I recall the hundreds of photos of Summer plastered all over Henry’s walls, rage builds inside me once again. There were other women’s pictures too, but Summer was the focus.
I realize I’m gripping her hand too tight and force myself to calm down.
Before I’m able to answer her questions, she holds up her free hand. “Never mind. I don’t need to know. I don’t want to know. He doesn’t get to take up any more space in my mind or my life.”
Good girl.
Vex says, “We’re going, unless you need anything else, Malicious.”
Summer chokes, coughing. “Mal is short for Malicious? Really? Malicious.”
A smile quirks at my lips as I lean out of her space, closing my wings, and waving my hand at Vex and Max. “Go on then.”
Max rolls his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’re welcome.”
I raise a brow at him, but he just chuckles. Vex follows their mate towards the hall but pauses and turns to face me. “If you touch my mate again, I’ll spend the rest of my days figuring out how to kill you.”
Max wraps an arm around Vex’s chest, his eyes going dark as he whispers in the midnight monster’s ear. “So violent.”
Vex sneers, but blushes. “I mean it.”
The two turn into the hall, and a second later the click of the door signals they’ve left. Summer’s fingers pick at the frayed edges of her shorts. I want to know what she’s thinking. A lot has been thrown at her, but she’s oddly calm. I wait to see if she’ll break the silence. I want to give her room to think, to process.
The minutes tick by, and finally, I crack. “Are you hungry?”
She blinks up at me, her eyes darting between mine. Her tongue flicks out, licking her lips before she bites the inside of her cheek. She nods, and I chuckle, shifting to adjust my now painfully hard cock. “Look at me like that, Summer, and the food will have to wait.”
Her pupils widen, and the flush in her cheeks spreads down her neck to the top of her chest. Fuck. My wings flutter, and I lean in. Our lips are so close, I can once more smell the tequila on her breath. Her stomach rumbles, and I sit back with a smile. “Food.”
She glances towards the kitchen, and I shake my head. No need. I wave at the coffee table, and a small spread appears. Crackers, cheese, fruit, meats. There’s also a tall bottle of sparkling water with two glasses. Summer looks over the food, then turns to me with a little smirk. “Why even have a kitchen?”
I shrug. “I thought you might like one.” Her mouth drops open, and I rush to add, “Not that a woman’s place is in the kitchen. I just thought having a traditional human home would be comforting for you. I … shit … I can get rid of?—”
Summer laughs, and my anxiety drains away. “Can I do magic like that?” I cock my head to the side and lean forward to drag my nose up her neck. She gasps. “What are you doing?”
Sitting back, I shrug with a grin. “Scenting you. Your magic is powerful, but old and diluted probably over many, many generations. I doubt you’ll be able to use your power to this extent, but you did heal yourself without the actual knowledge of how to do so. So, who knows? I have a feeling you will continue to surprise me, sweet Summer.”
To keep myself from kissing her, I reach with my free hand, collecting a cracker and a slice of buttery cheese. Holding it out to her, I wait for her delicate fingers to brush mine to take the food. Instead, she leans close and holds her lips open.
I know there’s heat blazing from my eyes—I can see their silver reflection in hers as I slide the cracker and cheese into her mouth. She bites, crumbs falling down the front of her shirt. Summer keeps her eyes on me as she chews.
This woman is going to be the death of me.
I love it.
She swallows, and I watch her throat flex. She’d look lovely swallowing my cock. I’m so distracted by the long line of her neck, I nearly jump out of my seat when her lips close around my fingers, taking the rest of the cracker and cheese. She sucks on me as she pulls back.
“Fuck, Summer. You are?—”
She holds up a hand, chewing, then swallowing. My laurel crown thuds to the floor as Summer launches herself at me. Her arms wrap around my neck, her fingers brushing the feathers where my wings meet my back. A shiver trembles through my body as she climbs into my lap, straddling me.
I’m overwhelmed. My hands are everywhere, but I can’t seem to touch enough of her. I need more. Our hips grind together, and a growl rips from my throat. She arches back with a moan, and my lips can’t help but fall to her throat. As I kiss my way to her jaw, I earn my angel status as I say, “Summer, I’m on the edge of losing control.”
Sitting up to look at me, her hips continue to roll against my hard length as she pants, “I do have one question.”
My fingers dip under the hem of her tank top, tracing over the skin of her lower stomach. Her eyes flutter, and I grunt. “Ask.”
“Will my birth control work with you? I don’t want angel babies flying around that can glow and might want to eat people.”
I laugh, rubbing my palms up her sides. She gasps as I brush the outer edge of her bikini-clad breasts. “I don’t know if human birth control works with monsters, but my kind can only reproduce with other nepha through a mutual sharing of our magic. It’s transactional. Literally. Nepha create a spark of new life by intertwining their magic with a handshake.”
“So why do nepha have sex?”
I laugh. “Because it’s fun and it feels good.”
She giggles. “Guess I walked into that one.” Her smile drops, and she stops moving. My fingers press into her flesh as she says, “So you can only have babies with one of your kind? Then, why would I be … mated to you? Are you sure that I’m … that it’s me …?”
I wrap my arm around her back, my fingers tangling in the strings of her bikini. My lips press to her cheek, and I inhale her scent mixed with sweat and salt from her hours in the sun. “Being mated isn’t about reproduction. It’s about you and me. No one else. Nothing else. Just us.” I kiss her other cheek. “So, yes, Summer. I’m sure.” I kiss her forehead, and she relaxes a fraction. “And I’m delighted with the woman fate has chosen for me.” I kiss her temple, and her hips press tighter to mine. “I’ve got you. I don’t need kids. In fact,”—I kiss her nose—“I don’t want them, unless you do, then we will find a way.” I meet her gaze. “I like the idea of having you all to myself. I don’t want to share you with anything or anyone.” My lips press to hers. “You are all mine.”
Her fingers curl into my hair at the base of my neck, her green eyes staring into my silver ones. I can’t read her expression, and my lips dip in a frown. “Too much?”
She sputters, snorting a little laugh that startles me. She laughs louder at my response, throwing her head back. “It’s hard to wrap my head around all this craziness, but … I … I want it. I want it all to be true … my magic, us being fated. You are just too perfect, like you were made for me.”
“I was.”
All it takes is a little press of my hands to her back, and she’s flush against me. Our lips collide, our tongues tangling. Her little mewls accompany the squeezing of her thighs around my hips. I grip her adorable sloth shirt, nearly tearing it as I pull it over her head. Her breasts fill her little bikini, the mounds rising temptingly with each of her rushed inhales. Pitching her backwards, I lay her on the sofa, kissing my way down her body. I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe I’ve found her.
I say a silent thank you to the jewel sitting deep under my house.
With one foot on the floor and the other tucked under me, I sit back, staring down at my mate. She’s flushed and panting, her thighs parted around me. So fucking beautiful. I grip her waist, and with a flex of muscle, I flip her over. She squeaks with a chuckle as I lean over her. I press my lip to her neck, and she grinds into the cushion as she moans, “Mal.”
Just as I’d imagined, I grip the string of her bikini in my teeth and tug. With a soft whisper, the tie comes undone, and I immediately move my way down her back until I come to the next tie. This one falls away too.
“Summer, tell me your fantasies.” I wrap my hand under her body, my fingers brushing over her navel before finding the button of her shorts. “Tell me what you desire.” She lifts her hips to give me room to unzip her, the movement raising her ass towards me like an offering. My hand dives into her bikini bottom, finding her dripping and swollen. “Fuck, sunshine, you are already so wet.”
I circle her clit before slipping one finger inside her. She moans into the sofa, grinding on my hand. Her words are muffled as she says, “I’ve been a needy mess ever since I ran into you at the bookstore.”
My cock throbs, and with a thought, all my clothes disappear. I pull my finger from her pussy. The scent of her arousal causes pre-cum to drip from the head of my dick onto her back. I press my palm to the sticky mess and rub it into her skin. I want her to smell of me for days, even after she washes.
As I work her shorts and swimsuit bottoms down her legs, her ass squirms, and I want to bite it.
Summer is finally naked, and when I grip her waist, my hands span across her entire back. Lifting her hips, I position her so I can line my cock up at her glistening entrance. I nudge against her without penetrating, and she tries to shove back onto me. I chuckle, but the sound comes out hoarse with my need for her. Rubbing against her again, I say, “How do you want me, mate?”
Her body tightens, her pussy pulsing as she clutches at the cushion under her. Leaning all the way over her until my lips brush her ear, I say, “Does my little sunshine like it when I call her mate?”
She nods into the sofa with a moan that’s on the edge of a sob. “Fuck, Mal. I’ve never … I’m on fire. I …”
My cock rubs between her slick folds. “Too much?”
She wiggles her ass against my stomach. “Not enough. I need …”
“Tell me.”
“I need you to fuck me. Hard, Mal. I need you to break me. I want?—”
We both grunt as I ram into her, my balls slapping against her as I bottom out. I don’t give her time to adjust before I start pounding into her.