19 Ariuk #2
“That is horrifying,” I said, only for Luc to point out that I was currently holding both of them while staring at Gluttony’s mouth.
I looked down at my hands, then back at the enormous demon in front of me, and realized he was right.
One hand was wrapped around Nick’s wrist, Luc was plastered against my back, and yes, unfortunately, my gaze had wandered straight back to the stranger’s mouth.
“Still horrifying,” I decided, which made Nick laugh harder.
Gluttony hadn’t taken his eyes off me once.
He stepped closer, not fast or threatening, just enough to make Luc’s body tighten behind mine while Nick moved automatically to my other side.
The big demon stopped directly in front of me and breathed in once more, his gaze dragging slowly over my face before dropping to the exposed skin above my dress. “You smell fucking incredible.”
Heat shot straight through me, and I told him that wasn’t creepy at all.
His mouth curved at that, revealing the grin Nick had mentioned, and unfortunately, I liked it immediately.
His hand lifted slowly, giving me plenty of time to move away before his fingers settled at my waist. His grip was firm, almost grounding, and when he leaned closer, his nose brushed lightly along the side of my hair.
He didn’t kiss me or shove me against anything.
He just breathed me in like he was trying to memorize the scent, and my body relaxed before my brain approved it.
That surprised me more than the attraction.
For someone built like he could throw me over one shoulder without noticing the additional weight, Gluttony felt safe.
“Gluttony?” I asked, and his eyes lifted to mine, dark and focused with hunger rather than anger.
“Depends who’s asking.”
“Ari.”
Something in his expression sharpened at my name.
Behind me, Luc’s arm tightened while Nick moved close enough that our shoulders touched, and my body responded by leaning backward into Luc even as I stayed perfectly still beneath Gluttony’s hand.
I realized my fingers had curled more securely around Nick’s wrist and muttered, “This is what I mean. Super fucking unhelpful.”
Nick looked delighted. “I’m having a great time.”
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.” Unfortunately, the bond humming between us suggested he was right.
Gluttony’s gaze flicked over the way the three of us were positioned before returning to me, interest replacing some of the raw hunger. “So this is why you two are here.”
“Partly,” Nick answered, amusement fading slightly.
“Been a minute since I saw demon royalty.”
“We’re not royalty,” Luc said behind me, irritation sharpening every word.
Gluttony laughed and finally stepped back enough that I could breathe without inhaling him.
His hand lingered at my waist for one second longer before falling away, and I had the ridiculous urge to follow it.
“Sure you are. Dante took a liking to the two of you and dragged you downstairs for half your lives. That’s about as close to princes as Hell gets. ”
“It wasn’t all rainbows and unicorn farts down there either,” Nick replied, moving just enough to stand beside me instead of slightly behind.
Something passed between the three demons that I clearly didn’t understand, but Gluttony let it go.
His attention returned to me almost immediately, which was starting to become a pattern.
“Well, shit. I definitely didn’t miss your ass.” His gaze moved over my face before that grin appeared again. “Angel, you one too?”
Nick choked on a laugh while Luc’s chest moved against my back with a sigh. I narrowed my eyes at the enormous demon in front of me. “Did you just call me Angel?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I know you smell like one.”
He looked significantly too pleased with himself, and Nick finally managed to explain that I had been an angel, sort of, and now I wasn’t. Luc groaned at the terrible explanation while Nick lifted one hand toward me like he was presenting an expensive prize. “Meet Temptation.”
Gluttony’s smile disappeared. His eyes moved over me again, but the hunger changed into something more careful. “Not fucking possible.”
I raised a brow. “And yet you’re Gluttony.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, and I smiled because that was answer enough.
Luc’s hold loosened slightly as I stepped forward, though his hand remained at my hip, and Nick stayed close enough that my knuckles brushed his every time either one of us moved.
“Fine. Then let’s try something else.” I held his gaze, remembering exactly what Luc and Nick had told me about full names. “Beelzebub.”
His entire body went still as the air changed around him with something denser and hungrier.
The appetite I had felt before sharpened until I could practically feel it dragging across my skin.
My cheeks heated as the lesson proved itself immediately.
They didn’t create anything that wasn’t already there.
They strengthened what was, and apparently Gluttony had already wanted me quite a fucking lot.
His tongue dragged slowly across his lower lip as he looked at me. Nick swore beneath his breath while Luc pulled me back against his chest, and I stared at the large demon whose attention had dropped to my mouth again. “Well. That did something.”
“You think?” Nick muttered.
Gluttony took one step forward and Nick immediately moved between us.
The big demon stopped, not furious so much as visibly frustrated at having something he wanted placed just out of reach.
I made things worse by adding, “That’s a stupid name anyway,” and his eyes narrowed even as the corner of his mouth twitched.
“That mouth always like this?” he asked.
“Yes,” Luc and Nick answered together, which made me look over my shoulder and accuse them both of being rude. Gluttony laughed, the sound deep enough to vibrate through me, before saying, “I like her.”
“You’ve known her four minutes,” Luc pointed out.
“Didn’t say I loved her. Said I like her.”
Nick glanced at me. “Give it five.”
“Both of you can fuck off.” The demon in front of me looked increasingly entertained before finally giving me something useful. “Zel.”
I blinked. “What?”
“My name. Call me Zel.”
“That’s significantly better.”
“Glad I passed.” He stepped closer again, slower this time, and his gaze dipped to the lingering shot glass I had somehow carried outside without noticing. “Tequila?”
I looked at my hand and laughed. “Apparently.”
“You like it?”
“I like most things Heaven tells me I shouldn’t.”
His grin returned, warmer this time. “Yeah. We’re gonna get along.”
Something about the certainty in his voice sent another little pulse through my chest, and without thinking, I leaned backward into Luc while my hand found Nick again.
Nick immediately curled his fingers around mine.
Zel noticed, of course he did, his gaze traveling from our joined hands to Luc’s arm around my waist and then back to me.
“You always do that?” he asked.
“Do what?”
“Reach for them when you look at me.”
I frowned and looked down again. Fuck. “This is super fucking unhelpful,” I repeated, which made Nick laugh loud enough that it echoed off the brick. Luc pressed his mouth briefly against the side of my head and reminded me that he had already warned me about newly bonded mates.
“You also told me we were here to meet Gluttony, not become some weird demon cuddle pile in an alley.”
“We can multitask,” Nick said, throwing my own words back at me.
I glared at him while Zel barked out another laugh.
For the first time since we stepped outside, the tension eased enough that all four of us seemed to breathe normally.
Then Zel’s gaze dropped to my mouth again, mine dropped to his, and Luc noticed immediately because his arm tightened around my middle.
“So this is happening,” he murmured.
Nick looked between us. “Definitely.”
“What’s happening?” I asked, even though I already knew. Zel took another step forward, and my entire body leaned toward him before Luc’s arm tightened enough to stop me.
“No touching,” Luc said, steering me backward before I could argue.
I twisted enough to stare at him. “Excuse me?”
“Nope. Fuck this shit. Everyone back to the dorm.” Nick was already grinning like an asshole beside us while Zel stared after us, clearly wondering if Luc was serious. Luc did not slow down as he added, “We cannot have a fucking orgy in the goddamn alley.”
Everything went silent for one glorious second before Nick started laughing and Zel’s grin turned absolutely filthy. I slowly looked over my shoulder at Luc. “An orgy?”
His expression fell the second he realized what he had said.
“You said orgy.”
“I know what I said.”
“You’re delivering on that shit later.”
Nick nearly doubled over, and even Zel laughed hard enough that he had to drag in a breath before falling into step beside us. Luc tightened his arm around me and kept walking, muttering under his breath about how all three of us were going to kill him.
For someone I had been warned might be dangerous once he wanted something, Gluttony was surprisingly easy to be around. The fact that I already wanted to know how he tasted was probably going to become a problem.