Page 73 of Demon's Bane

She leans into me and rests her cheek just over my heart, and for a few seconds I’m not sure I’ll survive the wave of overwhelming tenderness that washes over me.

The moment feels infinite.

Like the first time I kissed her, it seems to be one of thousands, the first moments of a lifetime spreading before us. Here, now, just like this, the same sense of peace washes over me, the same soul-deep certainty that it’s all I might ever need.

It’s wishful thinking, I’m well-aware, and everything waiting for us outside this cabin demands that I don’t lose myself in it. Not yet.

But tonight, with my mate in my arms, with the glowing embers of the pleasure we shared settling into muscle and marrow, into every unlit corner of my soul, perhaps I can simply enjoy it.

Perhaps there is no tomorrow, no realms, no court or coven.

Perhaps Joan and I are the only two beings in the Goddess’s ether, alone in the infinite swirl.

The fanciful, impossible wish of those thoughts keeps me company as I drift off—warm and safe, at peace.

22

Joan

I wake with a big, muscled demon body curled around me.

And not just a body, but a protective wing draped over me, blocking out the rays of morning sun attempting to shine in through the window.

Craning my neck back, I can’t help my smile at seeing how peaceful Rhett looks in sleep. A tender ache kicks up in my chest, one that’s quickly followed by a flare of heat when I remember everything that happened last night.

Goddess, it was good.

Every single second of it was good.

Being the focus of all that warm, demonic intent. The way Rhett held me, devoured me, like I was the only thing in the world that mattered to him.

And that’s not even saying anything about the wayIwent wild forhim.

Taking my time with him, getting my hands on all those muscles and exploring every inch of him. His thick, beautiful cock, his knot, the unbearable pleasure of taking him apart, watching him come completely undone when I took him into my mouth and—

“Little mate,” Rhett grumbles, eyes still closed. “It’s too early for you to be awake.”

I stifle a laugh and lean back to press a kiss against his jaw. A deep purr rumbles through him, edged with a growl when he inhales and no doubt picks up on what I was just fantasizing about.

One of his hands makes a gentle collar around my neck as he tips my head back to claim my mouth, and the other skates down the length of my body. I never bothered trying to find the shirt he stripped off me last night, and as his hand dips down between my bare thighs, a harsh growl vibrates through every place we’re touching.

“Still so needy for me, little mate?” he taunts as he runs two fingers along my slick seam, up and up until he grazes over my clit and I cry out.

Rhett swallows the sound, tongue plunging deep and fingers pressing more firmly against me. He slips them just inside, stretching me around them. I spread my thighs wider to give him better access, shifting to take more of—

We both freeze at the sound of a muffled knock from the cabin’s front door.

“Are we expecting company?” I whisper.

Before Rhett can answer, there’s another knock, followed by Halla’s laughing voice, barely audible through the front room and bedroom door. “It’s half-past nine, so don’t pretend you’re still sleeping."

An unhappy grumble lodges in Rhett’s throat. “Maybe she’ll go away if we don’t answer her.”

“And I brought clothes for Joan, so you’d better let me in,” Halla calls out, and I swallow a laugh at the frustrated rumble in Rhett’s chest.

“She has a point,” I whisper, arching back against him and rubbing my bare ass over his cock. “It’s not like I can just walk around naked or wearing one of your shirts all day.”

“Why not?” Rhett growls, but pulls away a moment later, and I have to stifle a frustrated groan of my own. “Give me a moment.”