Chapter 9
nine
MERRILY
After a quick bath, I sent a few more messages, then texted Liv.
Me
Hey
Liv
Hey! Are things okay with the demon?
Me
Depends who you ask
Liv
Wow, that's informative
Me
Girl's night next week?
Liv
If you can escape his clutches
Me
We'll do it at his place if I can't get free, but I did already escape
Liv
How does his magic feel?
Me
Quiet
Liv
So you're obsessed
Me
Basically
Liv
Is the sex as good in real life?
Me
Better, unfortunately
Liv
I'm going to need that story
Me
Don't think I can share
I now understand why you and Niall were always having sex in random places
Liv
Hahahaha
That was mostly my magic's fault, but I guess it hasn't really stopped
Me
I need a favor
Are you busy?
Liv
Getting stuff ready for our anniversary painting
We can put it off until tomorrow if it's important, what is it?
Me
That's okay, I can make it work without you
Enjoy!
Liv
What is it?
Me
Nothing big
Liv
Mer
Me
Liv
Liv
MER
WHAT IS IT?
Me
I'm just meeting with the Wraith again
Her name is Rae, apparently
She's close with Grayson, so it shouldn't be a problem
Liv
But you need backup
Are Kat, Callum, and Dare all at the coffee shop?
Me
Yes
But like I said, Grayson did say he thinks of Rae as a sister, so I'm sure it will be fine
Enjoy your mate
Liv
Take Dare with you
Me
I'm perfectly capable of watching my own back
Liv
I know people don't fuck with you
But we're family, so I'm going to worry
Dare is obsessing over her anyway, just ask him
Me
I appreciate your worry
Liv
Text him
I ignored the message. I tried not to lie to my family, so I wasn't going to tell her I would.
Meeting with Rae alone would probably be fine.
After I worked for a few more hours, the late lunch I ordered got to Dare's place at the same time Rae did.
I slipped off the couch when I heard her open the door, like I'd told her to. A lot of Grayson's shadows had left my skin, so I only had a small cushion of his magic between me and mine. It was still helpful, even if I was only slightly less overwhelmed than usual.
Rae's nostrils flared as she walked in carrying a reusable bag with my takeout food in it. Between her gray skin, eyes, and hair, all those tattoos, and the bold, dark makeup she wore, she looked like a complete badass.
I didn't have it in me to envy her. Envy was an emotion I'd forced myself to get past long ago. My magic was too much to cope with on the best days—if I had let myself wish for something better, I would've come completely unglued.
"Why does this place smell so good?" Rae asked, her gaze sweeping the room.
"I don't know. What kind of demon are you?"
"Rude question."
"It's not rude to ask an immortal what they are," I countered.
She set my food down on the kitchen countertop, the tied fabric bag slightly lopsided. "Did you really ask me to meet with you so you can ask what I am? I'm sure Grayson would've told you."
"No. I asked you to come here because I need your help."
I crossed the room, taking the seat in front of the food and carefully opening the bag. I sucked in a breath at the intense feeling of the fabric against my skin.
I'd struggled with it for a solid two minutes before Rae reached over and untied it without touching my skin.
Then took the seat next to mine. "I hope some of that is for me."
"I ordered enough for both of us. How is he?"
"Fighting. Like always." She sat back in her chair.
"I have a plan for that."
"I'm assuming that's what you need my help with."
"It is."
"I'm listening."
I explained my plan while we ate—her quickly, and me, slowly. Rae's eyes brightened as the explanation went on.
"Fuck, that's good. I don't have that kind of sway, but I'll get Mia and Charity to make it happen."
I opened my mouth to thank her, but she disappeared. Literally.
I stared at the place she'd been for a long moment before refocusing on my food. Rae's was long gone, but mine wasn't.
My phone lit up beside me with an incoming video call, and I answered it immediately when I saw the name on the screen.
Grayson Darke
I was holding the phone up when the call connected, and I sucked in a breath when I saw the demon king on the other side of it. He was wearing a sling on his arm, and his veins were dark as they trailed out from what looked like two small stab wounds on his shoulder.
A vampire bite.
I noticed the ashen tone to his skin immediately, and saw red.
"Who the fuck bit you?" I nearly snarled the words, the world growing smaller and tighter and more uncomfortable around me.
I was suddenly aware of every single thing that touched me. My thighs, on the chair. The fabric of my clothes, on my body. My hair, growing toward my shoulders.
"Leon. The vampire king. I'm fine," Grayson said quickly, managing a grin that didn't meet his eyes.
"You can lie to and charm the Cabinet, but that shit doesn't work on me."
His grin faded.
A quiet breath escaped him. "Alright, I'm pretty wrecked. You know I don't do this, but Leon's started playing dirty. If I'm going to heal in time for the next fight today, I need to feed from you."
"I knew you didn't take enough last night."
"It's not because of that. I'm just fading. It's been too much fighting, for too long." Grayson shoved a hand through his hair, pushing the falling strands out of his eyes.
"Luckily for you, I'm exhausted. Some asshole demon kept me up half the night because he was too horny to stop fucking me."
His lips curved again. This time, the smile reached his eyes. "He sounds sexy."
"Oh, he is. Too sexy, honestly."
"There's no such thing."
"There is." I looked around the kitchen. "I'll have to hang up. Give me a few minutes?"
"Of course. Thanks, Mer."
I nodded before I hung up the phone. After sending a quick text to Rae so she wouldn't think I ditched her, I walked slowly to the guest room Darius kept for me. I would've preferred to be in my own home, but I was way too overstimulated to drive at the moment, so the guest one worked fine.
It didn't take me long to slip under the blankets.
Sleep didn't come immediately, but it arrived fast enough. As I went under, Grayson followed me in.
I watched the dream take shape a little slower than usual. We were back in Grayson's apartment, with him standing in front of me and me sitting on the couch. Everything was fuzzier than it usually was, which didn't seem like a good sign.
But things couldn’t be going well, considering the man had actually admitted that he needed help.
He was dressed only in a pair of tight shorts that hid absolutely nothing. The same thing he probably fought in, and was most-likely wearing when he video called me.
He'd need a distraction, so I was going to play devil's advocate.
"That's what you wear to fight?" I asked, trying to sound entirely unimpressed.
He glanced down at his shorts, his cock already hardening and lengthening. "Yeah."
"Great." My voice was brittle.
"Do you have a problem with my shorts, Love? This is standard for a fighter. More clothing means more for your opponent to grab. Particularly when shadows are involved in the fights."
"Would you have a problem with me wearing that in front of everyone we both know?"
His eyes narrowed. "Of course not."
"You fight women sometimes," I stated. It wasn't a question. Rae had confirmed that for me earlier.
"Not often, but yes. Sometimes."
"And those women typically wear something similar to what you have on."
"Shorts and a sports bra."
"Right. So if I was dressed in shorts and a sports bra, bucking beneath a mostly-naked man on a mat, you would have no problem with it." My words came out evenly.
His nostrils flared. I saw the rage in his eyes at the idea, though he refused to acknowledge it. "No. There's nothing sexual about fighting."
"Don't lie to me. Do you think I've forgotten how many of our dreams have taken place in your fighting gyms, Darke? On the mats? In the locker room? In the showers? It's one of your favorite places to spend your nights with me."
"There's nothing sexual about me fighting a woman who wants to take my throne," he growled, stalking toward me.
"What if I wanted to take your throne?"
He kneeled between my thighs. “We both know that you could ask for anything you wanted for me, and I'd hand it over without batting an eye."
I sucked in a breath as he lowered his nose to my pants and inhaled deeply. "What are you doing?"
"Reminding myself who you belong to, Love."
"Fuck," I choked out a curse as he dragged his nose slowly over my center. The pressure was light, barely there, made gentler by the fabric between us.
It wasn't as good as it would've been in the real world, either, but it was still fucking spectacular.
"Now what are you doing?" I breathed, as he slid my pants and underwear down my thighs the way he had a million times in our dreams. They hit the floor before he answered.
"Reminding you who you belong to."
"Myself?"
"No, Love." Grayson tipped his head back and met my eyes. "You're mine. Say it."
I took him in.
He was kneeling, tense, and clearly fighting his instincts between my bare knees.
I’d hurt him by keeping the truth to myself and hiding our connection. That hadn't been my intention. Not at all. I'd been focused on protecting myself.
But it was still true. I had hurt him.
Grayson was a strong, dominant, powerful male. There were only a few people stronger than him in our entire city. And after the thousands of nights we'd spent together, I knew those attributes bled into every part of his life.
He was good at hiding his pain, but he needed this. This connection. This assurance that I knew he could take care of me.
"What will you give me if I do?" I asked, knowing exactly what that challenge would do to him.
His eyes heated. "Anything you want."
"I want to see you come. In the real world. I just want to watch." The words slipped out before I could reconsider them, and the flush in my cheeks had to have made me bright red.