Her voice lowered. Ill blame you because youre too beautiful to resist. Because you think of my well-being even when youre in danger yourself. Because youre mine. My warrior. Mydemon.
The admission affected him as potently as her actions, and he found new words to give her. Youre killing me, sweetheart. Youre killing me, yes, yes, yes, please kill me. Any moment and he would start arching his hips, thrusting up, unable to stop himself.
Her wicked grin returned. Lie back and conserve your strength, baby. Sweet little Haidees gonna do all the work.
He didnt lie back. Hed been yearning for this forever. Yearning for her forever. He wanted to see every move she made. Like this. Just like this.
Whatever my warrior desires Lips of scarlet at last closed over the tip of him. She moaned in delight.
His back bowed. Her cold little tongue flicked the slit it had suckled only moments before, and he had to brace his arms behind him to remain upright. Down, down she sucked him, taking every inch, just as shed promised, not backing off even when he hit deeper than shed probably wanted him to go.
No, not true. His little Haidee hummed in satisfaction, in more of that delight, and he felt the vibrations in his bones. He had to grit his teeth to prevent himself from exploding then and there. Then she began to move, up and down, slowly at first, tormenting him, laving him with sensation, sensitizing his skin.
The ice of her touch should have numbed him, but combined with the heat his body exuded, he was kept in a continual state of need, ready to beg for one or the other to finally push him over the edge. And soon he was crying out in his mind, trying not to pump into her mouth.
That blond-and-pink hair bobbed, and with every upward glide, he saw slim, elegant fingers playing at his base. He started thinking about what he wanted to do with his own fingers. Glide them down the bumps of her spine, cup that trim little ass, spread each digit until he hit the warm, wet center of her. Sink deep with one, retreat, go back in with two, retreat, then go back in with three, until he stretched her. Until she squirmed and rode him and gasped and cried.
Haidee groaned, her body trembling, her teeth scraping up his shaft. Yes, she rasped. Yes. Fingers, deep. So deep.
Amuns heart thundered against his ribs. Was he pushing the images inside her head? He must be, he thought. Was glad. He wanted her to see, to know.
All the while she licked at him, she nibbled, her hips undulating over his legs, searching for something to fill her. He cupped her nape and massaged the muscles knotted underneath. When she began to relax against his hold, he tried to spin her around so that he could please her as she was pleasing him. She resisted.
No. You first.
Haidee.
No. Justneed a momentcontrolslipping
He wasnt sure if she meant control of her body or control of the ice, but either way, he didnt care. She wanted him. She needed him. And he wanted to taste her. Needed to taste her, too.
As those tormenting lollipop licks continued, he tossed another image into her mind. One of his head buried between her thighs, sampling all the sweetness waiting there. Sucking her clitoris, flicking with his eager tongue, his fingers pinching her nipples into hard little pearls.
Hed shove her legs as far apart as they would go, burrow as deep as possible, and make her feel more vulnerable than shed ever been. She would be helpless, his to control, commandhis to own. He would take everything, swallow her up, devour her completely, then rear up and slam home.
He wouldnt be gentle. But then, she wouldnt want gentleness. She would want a hard pounding, a punishing ride onto oblivion. She would scream and she would cry out. She would clutch at him and leave bloody trails on his back, her nails like talons as her legs wrapped around him, ankles locking.
He would make her forget her husband, forget every man shed ever been with. Only Amun would matter. Only Amun would have rights to her. Anyone who tried to reach her, who wanted to see her like that, taste and touch her like that, would die. He would murder them.
She. Belonged. To. Him. Not even Haidee would be able to doubt that afterward.
Oh, God, she moaned, then lapped at his pre-come. Her trembling intensified.
I told myself to stay away from you, he said into her mind. I told myself to leave you alone.
No, she cried. Dont.
But I cant, he continued. Let me taste you.
No, she repeated. Less savagely, yes, but not completely broken. Let me finish you. Because I swear to God, baby, youre going to have this memory if it kills me. And it just might. You taste so damn good. With that, her mouth plunged, once again taking his entire length.
Amun finally let go of the gossamer threads of his control. He fell back, hips thrusting up, fingers tangling in her hair. She claimed him wildly, wantonly, as if she couldnt live another moment without his seed; soon he was helpless to do anything but let her have every drop.
Fire rushed through his veins, burning them to ash, allowing the inferno to spread, consume him, burst from him. He bucked up as she slammed down, and that seed rose up his length and exploded from him. Her cheeks hollowed as she swallowed, taking everything he had to give and still demanding more.
She wrung him dry, reduced him to a shell of himself, and he sagged against the ground. She didnt pull from him right away, but licked and purred as if unwilling to give him up even then. His muscles continued to spasm with aftershocks of sensation, pleasure humming through him as potently as she had hummed on him.
He would have recoveredeventuallyand could have finally possessed her completely. But she wanted to call Micah before they took that step, and Amun wouldnt force that issue now. Not after what shed just done for him. So he somehow found the strength to sit up, clasp her under the arms and lift her until she straddled his chest.
Her eyes were glazed with passion, her cheeks flushed a deep rose. Those beautiful locks of hair hung in rapturous tangles around her shoulders. Never had a woman looked more mussed, more ready for lovingor better loved.
What are you?
He slid one of his hands between their bodies and thrust a finger deep. Immediately her head fell back and a cry parted her lips.
Yes! Yes, please, yes.
Just as hed imagined, he used two fingers on the inward glide. She was so wet she drenched his hand, so needy her inner walls clung to him, trying to hold him captive. This was how a woman should always feel. Ready. On the next inward glide, he used three, just as hed craved. His thumb rubbed at her clitoris, never ceasing the pressure.
So desperate was her need, she erupted quickly and violently. Her scream echoed from the walls, her knees squeezed his sides so tightly he knew his ribs would crack, and her nails raked his pecs, leaving welts. And when the last tremor left her, she collapsed on top of him, panting, eyes closed, skin sheened by a delicate layer of ice.
Amun was panting just as forcefully. What had just happenedhed never experienced anything like it. That hadnt been the simple fulfillment of a need. That had been the birthing of an addiction. An obsession. He had to have more. Had to have everything. Now, always.
Haidees lack of inhibition, her willingness to please him, her absolute claiming of himfor thats what shed donehad utterly changed him. In an instant, the old Amun had been burned to ash, and a new Amun had risen up.
Haidees man.
Hed been stupid to try and push her away, he realized now. Stupid to try to ignore the attraction between them. Hed only hurt and frustrated them both. Here, they could be together.
No one would ever have to know, which meant she wouldnt be ridiculed, wouldnt be punished or ostracized by her friends. And so they would; they would be together. He simply couldnt be without her. Wouldnt be without her.
While they were here, he was forced to remind himself.
When they left hell, they would part. He wouldnt disturb her life any more than he already had.
His hands curled into fists. Gods, even the thought of being without her blackened his mood. He would not be swayed from that course, however. Through his suffering, he would know Haidee lived as she was meant. Happily. Finally.
Secrets gave a little whimper, and Amun frowned. Did the demon not want to lose Haidee, either? I thought you were scared of her. He was careful to hold the thought inside his mind.
Another whimper sounded.
Understanding dawned. You arent done digging through her mind.
The demon gave no response, but a response wasnt necessary. He knew.
He and Secrets had never had a true conversation, and he could hardly believe they were (almost) doing so now. Doesnt matter, though. We cant keep her. For her own good, we cant keep her.
As if Haidee sensed the direction of his thoughts, she struggled to sit up. Amun held tight, forcing her to remain against him.
Sleep, sweetheart. Well talk later.
Promise? she asked, the word slurred with exhaustion.
Promise.
Kay. She hadnt noticed his failure to specify exactly what theyd discuss, and she went limp, slipping into a deep slumber.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
SOMETHING HARD AND INEXORABLE shook Haidee from the most peaceful sleep of her life. She tried to bat the offender away. The shaking continued. She cursed and blinked open her eyes to see Amun looming above her, his expression tense, his black eyes unreadable.
He pressed a firm finger over her mouth before she could utter a single word. Somethings out there, his deep voice said into her mind. Urgency radiated from him, as contagious as a virus. Get dressed.
Of course someone was out there, she thought dryly. She and Amun were in a division of hell; they werent allowed a single moments respite. And now, their long overdue relationship talk would have to wait. Again. Still, this was better than the alternative. Like, say, dying.
As she donned the bra, panties, jeans, T-shirt, boots and countless blade and sheaths hed laid out for her, she marveled at the change in herself. Only a few days ago, she had jolted to awareness every time shed awoken, mind already locked on escape. Now, when danger had never been so prevalent, shed let down her guard. She even had to remind herself not to think about what theyd done last night, how shed sucked and swallowed him, how shed ridden his fingers and cried his name.
She shivered as she listened for whatever had disturbed Amun. Nothing, she heard nothing. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and anchored the backpack on her shoulders. When they Her ear twitched, and she frowned. Was that awhistle of wind? No, she thought. Laughter. Faint but unmistakable nowand coming from more than one source.
Laughter in hell. Not good. No, not good at all. She glanced at Amun to gauge his reaction.
He looked alert, on edge, as he stood guard at the cave entrance, his back to her. He wore a black shirt and black slacks, and each looked buttery soft and flexible. That way, he wouldnt be restricted during a fight. Silently she moved behind him.
He sensed her approach and started forward. She remained close on his heels as they left her new favorite place in the world. They should have entered another cave, a rocky hallway at the very least. Thats what had happened every time before. This time, however, they enteredno, surely not. She shook her head, blinked her eyes. She couldnt be seeing what she thought she was seeing, but the image never varied.
Acircus? Amun asked, incredulous.
He saw it, too, then. A freaking circus. Unreal! After the Realm of Shadows, a circus seemed like a spa vacation. Seriously. The restrictive walls of the underground had given way, stretching into what seemed to be a pretty, moonlit night. Stars even twinkled from their perch in the black-velvet sky, a cool breeze dancing past.
A moona skyin a cave. How? She stopped wondering when she saw that several fires crackled nearby, and there were bearded women and jaundiced-eyed men holding their hands inside the actual flames, watching her and Amun with palpable menace.
Okay, so spa vacation had been the wrong term to use.
Amun?
I dont know, he said, answering her unasked question. What the hell was going on?
Too-tall men with legs that knifed toward the sky walked by them, thankfully paying them no heed. The animals they led, howeverthe elephant whined, its trunk lifting, revealing fangs sharper than any demons. Worse, there were several winged lions, two unicorns that were foaming at the mouth and three crocodiles with blades rather than scales protruding from their backs. Each of the animals was bound to the men by a fraying ropeand each was fighting for freedom, their gazes locked on her, the tasty-looking human.
She gulped, glanced away for fear of egging them on. I dont like this.
I wont let anything bad happen to you.
Just like I wont let anything bad happen to you, she thought.
Tent after tent lined either side of her, a graveled pathway between them. At the end of that pathway was a booth, and inside that booth sat an obese man in a sweat-stained wifebeater. A neon sign flashed above him. ADMISSION: ONE HUMAN HEART.
I understand now, Amun told her flatly. Weve reached the Realm of Destruction.
Another realm. She almost groaned. None of this was here last night, she said. I would have noticed on our way into the cave.
Well, its here now.
No denying that. But how? Did she and Amun not actually have to hike anywhere to reach a new realm? Could the realms simply come to them? How odd, if so. Was that normal?
Was anything normal in hell? she thought with a humorless laugh.
They stopped at the booth.
You want tickets or not? the sweating man demanded in a voice so low, so deep, there were echoes of darkness bubbling beneath the surface.
Shuddering, Haidee opened her mouth to shout, Hell, no, but Amuns next words stopped her. Tell him yes.