Chapter 28
GAELAN
The memory Ari told me about how her grandfather's passing away made me want to go back in time, find that daemon, and make him die most excruciatingly. I didn’t show my rage to her while she was in my arms, even if my blood was boiling on the inside.
In that moment, she needed me to hold her.
We came straight back to the bedroom; we talked some more until she fell asleep in my arms.
Tilting my head down, I look into her peaceful face. Her eyes are softly closed; she is dreaming. I can see them twitching under her eyelids. Her nose and cheeks have a sprinkling of freckles over them, something I’ve only noticed now.
In some of her reincarnations, she has appeared in different forms. In others, she has retained her original appearance from her first life. I often thought that when she looked like her for the first time. She wouldn’t be taken from me so quickly.
I learned the hard way that was not the case.
Lifting one of my hands to her hair, I tease one of the soft curls between my fingers, a light smile on my lips when I remember Maddie, who had the same hair and looked so much like Ari.
My smile drops from my face as the vision of when I last saw her flashes into my head. Sucking in a breath, trying to stop the onslaught of emotion hitting me at the same time.
After her death, I was in probably one of the darkest times of my life.
That time, it took me a while to return to the daemon my parents had taught me to be.
Closing my eyes, I let my memories of that day fill my head.
Topside 1910
Checking that the bedroom door is closed, I walk over to my chest of drawers and open the top one.
I must be good at hiding things from my Rose—she’s not only nosey, but good at finding anything I’ve hidden.
I laugh to myself as I pull out a blue ring box and open it.
The engagement ring I got her last week sits inside shining.
It’s perfect.
It’s a simple ring, one that I know she’s going to love.
I got the stone from a rare mine in the underworld.
She’d seen some of them glittering in the rocks a few moons ago—I had to kill a few daemons for it, but.
Still, it’ll be worth it to see her beautiful smile when I ask her to marry me.
We mated last week, so she wears my mark again; I can’t help but smile.
. Each time I mate with her, it always feels like the first time; she was perfect.
Always was.
Always is.
But I know that her non-supernatural family would love to see us married. Her father knows about our world, but he has no powers; for him to walk her down the aisle would bring him immense happiness. So that’s my plan for this evening—dinner, dancing, and then I’m going to ask my Rose to marry me.
“Gaelan?”
I jump and almost drop the ring box when I hear Maddie coming into the bedroom.
“Yes, my Rose?” I wave my fingers and shimmer the ring box back into my chest of drawers.
I turn to face her; her amber eyes glow brightly at me.
Her hair is dark and long this time, and she’s curled it to sit perfectly on her shoulders.
The red dress that’s draped over her caramel skin makes her look irresistible.
“Have you seen my silver earrings? I could have sworn I had them in my dressing room.” She turns to walk into our ensuite, grinning. I shimmer to stand in front of her, so she crashes into me, smirking when her shocked eyes meet mine. “Hi,” she whispers.
“Have I told you today how fucking beautiful you look?” I lower my head to brush my lips over her neck, breathing in her scent. “Makes me want to stay in and devour you for dinner.” I hear her intake of breath, her Rose scent getting stronger.
“What would I eat then?”
I can hear the teasing in her voice, and it makes me grin.
I run my hands down her back to cup her ass, pressing her into me so she can feel how hard I am for her, how much my cock wants to be buried deep inside her wetness.
“I have something for you to eat, Maddie, don’t worry…
” I turn her so her back is leaning up against the wall, one of my hands moves to her thigh, and I lift it high on my hip.
Pressing closer, I rub my pants-covered cock over her.
“…You will be fully fed.” She tilts her head to the side, giving me complete access to her neck.
I lick along it. My fangs lower in my mouth, and I lightly scrape them over her sensitive skin.
“Gaelan?” Her voice is tinged with lust.
“Yes, baby?”
“My parents are downstairs…”
I grin. “Then we had better be quick.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, her hands are undoing the button and zipper on my pants.
I shimmer her panties off, my hips pulling back as her hand finds my cock, and I hiss at the contact.
She squeezes it hard before helping to guide me into her wet pussy.
I move to rest my forehead on hers, both of us moaning at the connection.
I lift her other leg, grateful that her dress is short and easy to move in.
Pressing her harder against the wall, my hips start moving quickly, fucking her tight cunt.
She makes a whimpering sound, and I place my hand over her mouth, so she doesn’t get too loud.
Maddie is a screamer, and as much as I love to hear that sound, her stepfather does not.
In these moments, I’m grateful more than ever to be a daemon, with my ability to move things with the flick of my fingers.
I use my powers to lift Maddie’s arms and pin them against the wall, holding her in place, while giving my other hand free rein to explore her body.
I pinch her left nipple first and groan when she moans behind my hand in response.
“Fuck baby, I fucking love you.” I grit out.
Her eyes start to glow, so I know she’s close.
I lean forward and sink my fangs into her neck and pull her blood into my mouth.
Maddie whimpers and cries out again behind my hand as she comes, my cock sliding in and out with ease as her juices coat me.
I press tighter against her, moving my hips faster, wanting to feel her come again.
I pull back from her neck, her blood dripping down my chin.
“Again, Maddie.” My voice is deep with need.
I roll my hips again, and both my hands move to cup her breasts, teasing them.
My body moves harder against hers, and I make sure to stroke her clit with each thrust. She starts shaking, and I feel my balls drawing tightly to my body before we both orgasm hard.
I release her from my powers and catch her body as she falls from the wall. I turn and kiss the side of her head. “Do not clean yourself up, I want to know my cum is making your panties wet during dinner.” She whimpers in response. “I’ll clean you up later with my tongue.”
She pulls back from me, her face flushed and her amber eyes glowing more brightly.
I kiss along her Orion’s belt marking on her cheek and then slowly pull from her body.
My cock is wet with her cum, and I’m half tempted to get her to lick it off, but we really don’t have the time.
I watch with hungry eyes as she steps into her panties and sets her dress right.
She starts wiggling. “How does it feel?”
“Delicious,” she laughs and comes over to kiss me.
“Good.” I slap her ass and take her hand, walking us down the stairs, where her stepfather is waiting at the bottom for us.
“Son, what took you so long?”
“Sorry, Percy, I had to help Maddie with her dress,” I lie.
Percy slaps me on the back. “Women and their dresses, all the fuss we men do not need.” He chuckles, and I laugh with him, even if I do find him to be a sexist asshole. He’s Maddie’s stepfather, her biological father, and I get along well.
“Our ladies like to look their best for us.”
He grunts at me before pulling a cigar out and lighting it up. I see Maddie’s eyes flash, and I look down to hide my grin—she hates him, but her mother loves him, so we tolerate him.
“Gaelan, my boy, looking as handsome as ever,” Maddie’s Mother, Ivy, coos as she comes over and gives me her hand to kiss. I smile and take it, pulling her in to kiss her cheek. “You look beautiful as always, Ivy.”
She blushes and hits my arm lightly. “Save that charm of yours for my daughter.”
“Always.” I wink at her, and Maddie rolls her eyes at me. Her father and stepfather were easy to win over; her mother… not so much. Finding out her daughter was dating a Lord of the Underworld did not sit well with her to start with; I had to convince her that I wasn’t one of Tate’s men.
Percy blows a massive cloud of smoke up into the air.
“This dinner won’t be long, will it? I have poker this evening.
” He puffs on his cigar again, making a smoke chain that I know is annoying Maddie.
I squeeze her hand again, but she pulls out of my grasp, lifting her hand and twisting her fingers, which makes the end of the cigar go out.
“It’s time to go,” is all she says, her eyes find mine, and the lingering power makes them glow.
I lower my head and whisper in her ear, “Careful, my Rose, we still need time to learn from the book before Macy comes.”
Maddie sighs, turns, and kisses me. “I know, but I hate the smell of the cigar smoke.”
“Nothing wrong with it, good for the lungs,” Percy calls out as he walks toward the door, pulling out another cigar and lighting it. Maddie growls, and her mother comes over and pats her hand.
“Pay him no mind, he will put it out in the car, now let us go before we are late for our table.” Ivy takes hold of Maddie’s arm and leads her out of the house. I check the wards are still in place before I shimmer the ring box into my coat pocket and follow them out the door.