Chapter 9
Iwas trying to distract him from his anger and questions. Iris’s safety was at risk if I couldn’t. He’d punish her for what happened earlier, for taking me out of his room again. The demon had been gone, so I likely had no power to convince him, but I’d do anything to keep her safe.
Instead, it was me who was caught.
Our lips met, and I swallowed fire and exhaled bliss.
My skin was sensitive to every caress of his hands, one huge hand gripping my neck and the other possessively holding my waist to his.
His touch was strong but gentle, as if I were a precious treasure and not a well-used woman who’d warmed plenty of beds.
It confused me more than the sudden kiss had.
Worse, I’d never felt so overwhelmed by heat and ecstasy.
Kissing wasn’t anything new to me. I’d done it with too many men to count.
I was well versed in utilizing my sexuality.
It was a means to an end; my duty for information gathering.
I’d been taught pain and minimal pleasure when it came to touching and sex.
It was a tool to get vital information from the gangs in our sector.
Pain grounded me.
Not this. Not this unfamiliar, explosive heat that coiled in my belly. Not this pulse between my legs. Not this heat that worked its way over my skin and set every nerve on fire. And certainly not this euphoric, out-of-body sensation that transcended sense.
The firm yet soft friction of his mouth moving against mine was foreign to me.
The yearning for more was unexpected. I wanted to claw my way into his skin and make my home in his powerful body.
I wanted to taste every part of him and have him taste every part of me.
I never wanted him to stop touching me. Even spent blissful seconds contriving ways to encourage more.
Was kissing always meant to be this…addicting?
I hadn’t realized I’d been waiting for this. I didn’t know I needed it until his mouth was on mine. But now that it was, I hoped it never stopped. His kiss satisfied a deeply rooted need. Now that I had it, I didn’t want to let it go.
Hesitating, I reached up and tangled my hand in his long black hair, testing the silky feel of it sliding between my fingers. I shed caution and swept my tongue into his mouth.
Onyx tasted like he smelled, sweet and tart. I gave myself over to the sensation of our kiss. I was taught to be calculating, but tonight I leaned into instinct. His heady groan suggested it was the right way to go.
As if he couldn’t help himself, Onyx’s mouth moved faster over mine, his fangs nearly puncturing my lower lip in his haste before he changed angles. With another low growl, his front pushed into mine.
The erection lodged between us was absolutely massive.
Bigger than anyone in my sector. Bigger than even Jona.
Not that I didn’t expect him to be. With how huge they were in this form, it only made sense his cock would be as well.
But I was suddenly worried it’d never fit, and if he chose to take me tonight, it’d be painful. Torturous, even.
But maybe that was for the best.
He thrust his hips several times before a growl of frustration ended the movement altogether. His hands teased down my back and lifted my skirt. But he didn’t do more as if he was hesitating, as if he was fighting himself, and I wasn’t sure why. The men I was normally with never did.
Why wouldn’t this beast take what was already his? Why did he stop himself every time?
Onyx released another wild sound before working his mouth and tongue over mine like he’d been starving, hand diving between my legs in a gentle, explorative sweep.
I opened them, inviting more, and the sound he made was unhinged, undone, like he’d accept anything I was willing to give.
Like he yearned to own every part of me.
Normally that sort of possession bothered me, but not with him.
Because his hold was gentle and his fingers wove through my hair in reverence rather than dominance.
The way his fingers teased and traced my sensitive opening was a question rather than a demand.
The possessive nature to him made me feel safe.
My instincts were screaming that he was different. Maybe because it clearly bothered him that someone might’ve hurt me. Maybe because everything he did was contrary to what I’d been told about them. Maybe because Iris trusted him and I trusted her.
“Fuck,” I breathed, a little disappointed that I couldn’t stop myself from wanting more. For wishing he’d take what he wanted instead of holding back.
I couldn’t be greedy, so I needed him to be.
I tugged his lower lip, breathing heat into his mouth. I pressed against him, hoping it’d encourage him to do something.
Anything.
His fingers slid along the moisture collecting between my legs, careful in a way no other man had been.
I swallowed and pressed my face into his neck, leaving a small kiss where his pulse thudded in time with mine.
After what felt like an eternity of inaction and torture, a breath escaped him that could only be described as tormented.
His thumb dashed across nothing but nerves, and my hips chased the sensation with earnest. It felt so fucking good.
I smothered a moan when he finally put two fingers inside me.
The muscles pressed against me were rock hard and contracted.
If I hadn’t known better, I’d swear he was afraid to move more than he had.
But this was a demon capable of terrifying things, why would he ever be afraid of me?
His fingers sunk in knuckle-deep before retracting. I tried not to make a sound, but the stimulation was mind-numbing. The way he moved his hand, the expert caress of his thumb where my pleasure was greatest, it wasn’t anything I’d ever experienced before, and I wanted more. So much more.
But whatever spell had come over him was broken when a strangled moan left my mouth. Onyx pulled away, shock streaking across his features before it was gone. He shut it down. He hadn’t meant to give me that emotion, and for some reason, that made my stomach flutter.
The demon’s eyes narrowed on me. His jaw clenched and nostrils flared.
The scales along his torso were far more defined than before.
Flashes of metallic black and blue caught my eye when I let my gaze roam over them.
Their texture was noticeable under my fingertips when I dragged my hand down his pecs and abs, asking with my eyes why he stopped. Hoping he’d give me more.
His claws clung to my hip but didn’t break my skin.
It was obvious even in partial transformation he was being careful, gentle, cautious.
And for the first time, horns. They broke through his hair—ridged, black, and curved.
I was tempted to touch them, but his lizard pupils had become paper-thin slits, and the demon was vibrating with power.
Was he angry with me? No, it didn’t feel that way. So what then? Why would touching his slave summon this sort of emotion?
Laying back, Onyx brought me with him and cradled my upper half on top of his. His hold was still possessive. He didn’t want space, that much I could tell. He wasn’t banishing me from his bed; he just didn’t want to have sex. He’d put an end to it, and I couldn’t fathom a reason why.
Had I done something wrong? I’d always been told I was good in bed, but maybe not for a demon. Maybe the sound I made turned him off.
“Was what I did not to your liking?”
His brows were suddenly pinched together and his mouth downturned, but he kept his eyes fixed to the ceiling. “Was what not to my liking?”
“The kisses? The way I feel? The way I sound? If you tell me what displeases you, I’ll find a way to fix it,” I said softly, my heart thundering.
I’d enjoyed everything we’d done, and I couldn’t think of any way to make it better, but I wanted it to be good for him. It had to be good for him if I was going to protect Iris and complete my mission.
Except, I wasn’t exactly sure how I’d do that anymore.
Still, without his sway, she’d be caught in the crossfire no matter what I did.
I might’ve been too young and untrained to protect my sister from her fate, but I was stronger now.
I’d protect Iris from hers, even if it meant reworking my mission to keep her safe.
The arm around my waist constricted. “You think I didn’t enjoy it? That I didn’t enjoy you?” He clicked his tongue in agitation. “Believe me, little beast, that’s not the issue here.”
“Then—”
“Bloody fucking Desert Roseland,” he hissed, almost as if the name left a bad taste in his mouth. “Breaking down their females until there’s nothing but a perfect vessel left.”
I chanced a look at him, but his eyes were still on the ceiling. His jaw was set as if he were holding back what he truly wanted to say.
“Iris said something like that, too—that women who come from my sector are always broken.” My voice came out much softer than I intended. “But I’m not broken or a vessel, Onyx,” I proclaimed. “I’m…” I trailed off, worried I’d said too much.
The muscles under me tensed before he asked, “Broken?” His striking blue eyes sliced down to my face, his fangs visible with his mouth open. “Is that what made you cry?”
I swallowed, suddenly uncomfortable with the direction of our conversation. “Not exactly.”
“Then what?” His nostrils flared again. Anger. This topic bothered him for some reason, though I couldn’t begin to understand why.
Maybe if I was vulnerable with him about the gangs from my sector, it wouldn’t set off any alarms about what brought me here. I never thought to make myself vulnerable with a demon, but Iris brought it out in me over the last week.