Chapter 22
The best mornings are when I wake up in Malakai’s arms. My face is pressed against his chest, one of his hands gently brushing through my hair while his chin rests atop my head.
“Good morning, love,” he whispers as he notices I’m awake.
“Morning,” I reply, moving even closer to him. “And happy birthday.”
He chuckles and places a kiss on my head.
A small yawn escapes me, and I drape an arm around his waist, trying to get even closer.
Right now, in this moment, he’s all I want and need.
His warmth envelops me, his touch ignites me, and his scent entrances me—fire and brimstone and something else… something…
“Cinnamon,” I mumble, my eyes still closed.
“What?” Malakai laughs, one hand now resting on my ass while the other stays on the small of my back.
“You smell like cinnamon,” I explain with a yawn. “It somehow balances out your fire and brimstone. I’ve been wondering about this forever—it’s definitely cinnamon.”
His laughter rumbles through his chest. “You’re telling me that I, a demon—a pureblood at that—smell like cinnamon?”
“And hellfire, so don’t worry. You’re still a big, bad demon.” His hands pull me closer, and I snuggle into his chest. “I like it. It’s one of those things only I know about you. My asshole cinnamon roll.”
Malakai groans. “Don’t ever let anyone hear you say that. I’ll have to kill them for it.”
“Maybe I should let it slip every now and then. Just to keep you on your toes.”
Saying this reminds me of what he did to our server last night, igniting a heat within me. I shift in his embrace, clenching my thighs together. “I would love to see you kill, though. The sight of you covered in blood…” I let out a long exhale. “It only makes your own scent more irresistible.”
Malakai groans again, his grip on me tightening. I reach between us, my hand brushing down his strong chest and abs, finding his hard cock and cupping him in my palm.
“Elly.” Malakai’s voice drops deep and dark, making my breath quicken, flooding my veins with arousal.
In response, I take him in my hand and slowly pump up and down his length. Malakai shudders and groans under my touch, bucking his hips in tandem with my movements. He always wants to be in control, and I don’t mind, but it’s nice to take that away from him every now and then.
“Fuck.”
And just like that, he takes it back. Malakai flips me onto my back, a breath whooshing out of me, and pins me beneath him, placing himself between my legs, his throbbing cock hot and heavy between us.
“You’re such a tease.” Malakai looks down at me, his eyes filled with dark promise, and I bite my lip at the sight of him.
He chuckles and leans closer, kissing my neck before moving to nibble my earlobe.
A soft moan escapes me as my eyes flutter shut, my chest heaving with heavy breaths, and need building deep inside me.
Then, all of a sudden, he’s gone.
My eyes snap open to find Malakai stepping out of bed. “Get back here,” I growl at him.
He turns to look at me, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. “Get dressed,” he orders instead. “We’re going outside to spar.”
“No.”
His hand grips my neck, squeezing just enough to constrict my breathing, his thumb trailing over my jaw. “Behave,” Malakai growls. “Get dressed, and let’s go. If you want me to fuck you, you’re going to have to work for it.”
He gives me another squeeze before releasing me and pushing himself away. Anger bubbles inside me at being denied. He chuckles and throws my bag of workout clothes at me.
“Fine,” I say through gritted teeth. I get up with the bag in hand and head to the bathroom to get ready, mumbling curses under my breath as I change, put on my shoes, and pull my hair into a ponytail.
Malakai is already waiting for me in the hallway downstairs, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He wears black sweatpants, a navy form-fitting t-shirt that showcases his muscled chest, and black sneakers. His warm honey-colored skin is back in place, as expected.
“Wow, you do own other clothes after all.” I look him up and down. “Can’t say I mind,” I mumble, licking my lips.
His laughter draws my eyes up to meet his, filled with mischief. “Glad you approve.” He checks me out in return as I walk past him toward the front door, and I put a little extra sway in my step. Malakai groans.
“Your ass in those leggings… well, fuck me.” His magic tingles against my skin, running down my back and giving my ass an unashamed squeeze.
My own magic swats his away, and I have to hold back from retaliating with the same. Instead, I turn to face him, my hand already on the doorknob. “That was the plan, but here we are,” I snarl.
“Save some of that feisty attitude for later,” Malakai grumbles. “I don’t plan to go easy on you today.”
As he approaches me, I turn away again, open the door, and dash down the steps. My magic crackles at my fingertips, flitting through my body with excitement.
“You better catch me first, then, asshole.” The words have barely left my mouth before I sprint away, crossing the street and disappearing into the park.
I sense his magic behind me moments later. Hot on my heels, he’ll catch up with me in seconds. Physically, I’ll never be able to best him, but magically, it’s a whole different story.
Running between the trees, I weave traps with earth magic, leaving trigger points in my wake, ready to be set off at the slightest disturbance.
Adrenaline courses through me, and my head buzzes with excitement.
It’s been a long time since we’ve gone up against each other like this.
For the first time, it feels like I might actually stand a chance.
His magic brushes the back of my neck. The next moment, Malakai yelps when he springs one of my traps.
I come to a standstill, using the moment to catch my breath and look behind me.
Malakai dangles upside down from a tree branch, multiple vines curled around his legs.
He curses profusely as his magic hacks at them.
He looks up when he hears me laugh, his eyes full of violent promises.
It only serves to urge me on because I’m already enjoying this way too much.
“You little…” Malakai sends a spell my way, but his aim is sloppy, and I easily flick it away.
Another laugh escapes me, and I take off once more, knowing he’ll be free soon enough.
Aware that I can’t outrun him forever, I find a spot to make my stand—a relatively secluded area of the park filled with trees, where I set up a few more traps. Knowing he’ll be expecting them, I infuse the traps with something extra.
Malakai approaches rapidly, his magic heavy in the air around me.
It only fuels my excitement as I wrap up the traps and coat myself in a protection spell.
My arms hang loosely at my sides, and I roll my shoulders with a grin on my face.
My heart beats loudly enough that I have to focus to hear anything else around me.
Right at that moment, everything goes utterly silent. No wind rustles through the leaves, no animals or insects scurry around—nothing. I look around slowly but can’t see him. His magic, on the other hand, is everywhere, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin.
My chest heaves with my rapid heartbeat, making me slightly nervous.
I catch movement from the corner of my eye.
Just as I conjure a counterspell to dissolve the incoming attack, another spell hits my back.
Though the brunt of it is blocked by my protection spell, the impact still manages to make me stumble.
I turn around, ready for another counterattack, but the next spell hits me in the chest, and I fall flat on my back in the grass.
My attempt to get back on my feet fails when his magic pins my limbs to the ground beneath me.
Malakai laughs as he looms over me. “Too easy, love.”
His laughter turns to a frown mere seconds later when I return his laughter with my own. Something snaps, and he turns his head in the direction of the sound, only to get slapped in the face by a vine. The thorns I added tear at his skin, making him bleed beautifully.
The first vine catches him off guard, briefly stunning him, but he’s ready for the next.
Malakai swiftly wields his magic as a blade and cuts the vine to pieces, just as he does with the ones that follow.
They don’t pose much of a challenge other than to keep him occupied, and that’s okay.
I take a moment to enjoy the sight of him jumping around, hacking and slashing.
I count the vines, knowing he’s almost through all of them.
Time is slipping away. Dragging my eyes from Malakai, I take a deep breath and concentrate my magic on the point where he has me pinned.
With him distracted, I manage to crack the bindings, tearing them apart and ripping my limbs free one by one.
A single jump, and I’m back on my feet just as Malakai cuts down the last vine. His breathing is labored, and his arms and torso are marked with numerous cuts from the thorns, all bleeding profusely. His mouth twitches, teeth bared, and the feral look in his eyes makes me feel hot and bothered.
“Elly.” His voice is a low growl, a warning that I’m in trouble if he gets his hands on me. I want him to, but I also dread losing again.
Malakai takes a step toward me, and I raise my arms. The spell I send his way is filled with torment, but he immediately casts his own in response. The two collide, both equally matched, exploding on contact and sending out a shockwave so powerful it uproots the nearest trees.