36
Heart pounding, I grab my bag.
“I’m tired of having nothing in your tower,” I reply to the Demon King with feigned anger. “I came to pick up a few things.”
Darya tilts his head to the side, considering.
“Is that why you crawled out and wrecked the bed?”
I shake my head.
“I’m also tired of needing a babysitter everywhere I go.”
He takes a step closer to me. My body tenses, but I put on a neutral mask.
“So,” I begin, casually swinging my bag over my shoulder, “when are we going to train?”
Darya leans against the wall, a lazy half-smile on his face.
“It’s too late for that,” he says, yawning.
I start to sweat. Too late?
“What… uh… what time is it?” I ask uncertainly.
Darya shrugs.
“It’s almost evening. The sun will set in an hour. Or sooner.”
I feel like I’ve been struck on the back of my head. An hour? I don’t have enough time…
Darya raises an eyebrow.
“You’re shaking, my little champion,” he sings, pushing off from the wall.
I can’t speak. I watch helplessly as Darya steps closer and gently grasps my neck. He follows my gulp with his thumb and curious eyes.
I didn’t get the dagger.
“And if… we went now and…”
Darya shakes his head.
“The herebias are closer than ever. I have to go to Lizander.”
“Don’t go!” I start, but I have no idea how to keep him here. Or maybe I don’t want to think about it.
Darya moves closer and leans over me, whispering:
“Why would I stay, Kindra?”
I can’t meet his eyes. He releases my neck and takes a step towards the door.
“You’ll stay here tonight,” he declares. “It’s safer than the tower.”
“Darya, wait!” I shout, grabbing his wrist. The demon turns back, his stormy gray eyes studying me curiously.
“Yes?”
“I…” I bite my lip. “I’m not under the influence of your blood right now.”
The demon’s stormy gray eyes darken.
I’m doing this for the angels.
I rise on my toes and kiss him. His lips taste like fire, soft as earth. He slowly returns my kiss, and as he does, his skin first burns, then the air between us ignites. He reaches for my waist, and I run my fingers through his hair.
I’m doing this so Lavian and the others can get in. Just for that. Nothing else.
I slide my tongue into his mouth, and he breaks the kiss. I can hear my heartbeat in my ears, and my vision blurs. Darya’s taste is sweet and alluring, and he looks at me as if he wants to savor me again, as if the past few weeks haven’t been enough.
“Then I won’t stop, little champion,” he growls, and my ears almost burst. I can barely stay on my feet, excitement pulsing warmly under my skin.
I step closer to Darya and shake my head.
“Finish what you started,” I pant, pressing my lips to his. I feel the underworld’s taste on his skin, the poison sliding down my throat.
The faint scent of earth burns my nose; his tongue meets mine, one hand on my nape, the other pulling my waist closer. I shiver as every inch of our bodies touch.
Everything is hot, but it’s not enough.
My heart pounds as I unzip Darya’s black leather vest. I break the kiss just long enough to run my hand over his ink-covered, muscular chest. The demon grunts.
My thighs respond. I feel a nauseating warmth, and I dig my nails into his sculpted muscles, then slowly trace the defined V-line of his hips with my finger. Hungry, Darya growls.
He pushes my hand away, grabs my hair, and forces my head back. His tongue gently makes its way down my neck.
I moan as his lips touch my collarbone, feeling him seal a smile into the hollow.
“There are situations where even I can lose control, little champion,” he whispers against my skin, and I feel less fear than I should. The way he holds me… it’s too controlled, too gentle, yet wild, and I can’t stop. “My demonic self may not want to keep you alive.”
Maybe now is the time to push him away.
“Tell me, Kindra. How much do you still hate me?” He presses me against one of the bed’s wide posts. I slide my leg up his, and he grips my thigh.
I hiss.
“A lot,” I whisper through my teeth.
“Hmm, really?”
A silver streak gleams in Darya’s dark pupils. His mouth covers mine, pressing me against the post. He whispers against my skin.
“And if I do this?”
His hand runs up my inner thigh, across my stomach, and grabs my breast. I let out a quick sigh as his fingers brush my chest. With a sharp tug, his claw rips my overall from top to bottom, stopping just below my navel.
My heart jumps, and I meet his gaze. Darya’s eyes blaze as he looks at me. Without underwear, only a thin garment separates me from his hand.
“If I do this,” he says, starting to caress my skin where he tore my clothing, widening the tear so my breast emerges from under the white cloth, directly into Darya’s pale hand, “how much will you hate me, Lotte?”
He calls me by my name for the second time, and when his hand squeezes the soft flesh, I throw my head back and moan. The warmth between my thighs intensifies, and I bite my lip. Darya notices.
“This…” he pants, staring at my lips as if my purple lipstick mesmerizes him. His grip tightens, his thumb making gentle circles around my nipple, and he growls as he kisses me.
My heart beats unevenly; every part of me wants to climb on Darya. I doubt why I enjoy this so much, and I tense under his grip.
“Let go…” Darya whispers to me, and at his soft press on my breast, I respond. I hug him, pulling him closer. He grips my thigh with his other hand, pushing his hips towards me. I feel his desire, and I can’t deny the wetness between my legs.
His lips move downward, and the lower he goes, the more my legs tremble. His tongue touches my nipple, and as his lips envelop it, a groan escapes my throat.
I gasp as he gently teases it with his teeth, and run my fingers through his hair.
“If I do this,” he says, biting my breast gently, “how much will you hate me, Lotte?”
“A lot,” I cry out, but I only pull him closer.
“Really?” He smiles, and his mouth sucks my breast with such sweet force that I groan again.
Then the movement stops, and it almost hurts as his lips leave my chest. He tantalizingly drags his tongue along my neck, then pulls me into his lap and pushes himself deep between my thighs.
I can barely breathe, my body responding in an instant.
As he presses his hips against me, a drawn-out sound slips between my legs.
I desire him, crave him, and I tense again.
Darya feels it but doesn’t let go. Instead, he plants a soft kiss on my neck, long and lingering, as if his hot breath caresses my throbbing skin for hours.
Then he reaches for my breast, which is bare, and presses it against his naked chest. He starts circling my nipple with his thumb gently.
While kissing me, he occasionally pushes his thumb down, holding it there for a moment until I moan. Then he continues.
“That’s it,” he whispers softly, pushing his hips closer to me, sending tiny impulses throughout my body. I kiss him back strongly, my hand exploring his muscular abdomen. He pulls back for a moment, our foreheads pressed together, our lips touching. Darya grins, his breathing uneven.
“Say it again!”
“What…”
“Just say it!” he snarls at me, gripping my breast tighter.
“You’re sick!” I hiss through my teeth, causing his hip movements to intensify.
“I hate you…” I whisper. That’s what he wanted to hear.
His fangs sharpen, a demonic growl escapes his throat, and he grabs my face with both hands.
He lets go, and my legs drop from his waist, but he presses me hard against the wall, so I don’t touch the ground.
His kiss is so aggressive it feels like he wants to break me, and I reciprocate.
I dig my fingers into his silver hair, but I’m not defending myself; I attack, biting before he can hurt me.
His fingers slowly slide down my stomach.
I’m going completely insane from his soft touch.
“Say it again!”
“I hate you.”
He roars, tearing apart the bottom of my overall with his claws.
I’m fully exposed before him. Not satisfied with that, he rips the fabric off my thighs and rips the white material from my arm.
I’m standing completely naked before him, unhurt but with my heart pounding in my throat.
I’ve never been completely naked in front of him, never been this vulnerable.
The demon steps back, looking me over. Slowly, he drags his finger between my breasts.
His hungry eyes devour every detail of my body.
I shiver, my mouth dry as his long claws slowly dance toward my core, already burning with the desire for Darya to possess it.
His fingers stop above it, and he looks into my eyes for a long moment.
“Do you like it this way?” he asks, circling above the sensitive spot. He’s retracted his claws. He knows exactly how I like it.
I tremble desperately in his arms. He keeps watching me, not allowing much movement beneath him or letting me collapse.
I press my lips together.
“Speak.”
I bite my tongue and slowly nod, mumbling something close to yes.
I’ve never experienced one of our encounters so intensely. Every sensation multiplies, making my entire body sensitive.
Darya grins triumphantly.
“Good,” he approves. “It wasn’t that hard, was it?”
I don’t answer, so he slows down again.
“I asked you something,” he whispers seriously. I hate him. And I enjoy it.
“No,” I moan, barely able to speak. Darya controls my entire body.
The Demon King nods.
“You need to tell me how you like it. Understood?” I nod. “Today, you have to speak up about everything.”
His finger stops circling, but before I can get scared, he slides it inside me. I scream, clutching his clothes. I want to bury myself in his arms, but he still doesn’t let me collapse.
“Like this?” he asks without smiling, and I feel his fingers moving inside me. When he circles them, I bite my lip. I tremble, covered in tiny lightning strikes, and if Darya wasn’t holding me still, my body would flail everywhere. But he slows down again.