Page 24

Not Safe for Work

“I love you, Rafferty,” she answered, and snuggled her nose even more. They savored each other for long moments he wished would last forever, but moments never did.

At last, she pulled away and looked up at him. “I know what you said, but I am still going to do something to help her feel a little better.” She broke from the hug and turned to lean against the island counter beside him, her gaze falling onto the smart surface of the refrigerator. “How about this as a compromise: it can be like with the eggs the other day, right? I’ll make an ingredient you will cook with and give it a positive intention. That was a very low cost, and it had a big impact, right? We made a whole office of people fee l better.”

Rafferty sighed, finally understanding that he was the one that hadn’t gotten it. This was Helena. She would do whatever it took to help whomever she could. She was a woman who risked her own soul to give a demon like him respite from hell.

Rafferty moved closer until his body was just on the edge of her aura, and it sparked a memory. Something he used to know, and just then realized he had forgotten.

She inhaled sharply at his approach, lifting her face to him as she sensed the shift as she woke up from her deeper thoughts.

Without a word, he raised his hand, brushing it over the edge of that otherworldly aura, hovering just outside the uncanny feeling. The action sent a shiver through bot h of them.

“What was…” she started to say, but closed her eyes as he did it again, savoring the sensation.

“Do you remember, the second time you summoned me to your kitchen… do you remember throwing the frying pan through t he glass?”

She snorted, the memory apparently a funny one for her now, and she opened her eyes, the sensual feelings disturbed.

He reset his hand again, hovering it just over her head, the pulsing of energy feeling so real to him. It should have been subdued because she hid it behind a physical body in creation, but she had no control or, apparently, awareness of it. That needed to c hange now.

Brushing down his fingers again, this time, he shifted just a little more into the aura and her giggles disappeared. A quirk of worry appeared between her eyebrows, before she caught his hand, sto pping him.

“What… is that?” she breathed. “What are y ou doing?”

“You know,” he said. “It was the same thing that you felt a round me.”

She shifted on her feet, confirming the truth. “Touching you was like caressing a battery. I’m doing that too, aren’t I?” She closed her eyes tightly. “I wasn’t sure based on how you were acting, but I have that weird aura thing going on, don’t I?”

He nodded.

“Does it hurt you?” she asked, her eyebrows showing ful l concern.

Shaking his head quickly, he attempted a reassuring smile. “No, it doesn’t hurt. But it is intense. It can be very intense when you are not hiding yourself fully behind the hu man form.”

She nodded. “I know what you’re talking about. It was the hardest part about…” He wasn’t sure what she was going to say, but she shook it away. “But you’re touching it r ight now?”

“I know.” He moved his hand, caressing the aura just inches from her neck. Another shiver washed through her and her lips parted in a pleasur able “Oh.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she breathed, even though she clearly liked it.

“There is something about it that I want to help you explore,” he said, stepping from her side to in front of her, bracing his hands on the counter to either of her sides. Trapping her there but not touching her. Yet.

Again, she inhaled at the sensation as he moved his presence into her aura, her eyes going wider, her lips parting as if ready to be kissed.

“There, you felt it again, didn’t you?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, letting her gaze go soft, concentrating on what she was feeling. This time she raised her hand toward him. “I sense you, too. Your space. Y our aura.”

This time she caressed down his human aura, and he arched toward it, the sensation skimming down his skin, straight to his groin, which was rushing to fill w ith blood.

The surprise on her face wa s comical.

“Oh! Oh,” she said as she put together what was happening. Her fingers moved, wafting around his head, and his body obeyed the motion, tipping himself toward her, like a flower bending its face toward the sun. He longed now for her fingers to sink into his hair once more. Every fiber of his being ached for her to grip him and take him, force him to submit to her will and scream in pleasure.

“This is how succubi do it!” she whispered , shocked.

“Hell, yes,” he agreed, the rumble deep in his throat. “Our auras influence each other and are a potent tool against humans. It can inspire them to great acts of violence and terror, but if you pull it back enough, manipulate it just so, it does… this…” At last, she sank her fingers into his hair, the eerie feeling continuing its shift to something intoxicating, overwhelming his senses. He lost control and pressed his body against hers, grinding his aching groin agains t her leg.

“Rafferty,” she breathed, her own fever pitched up as both her hands came around his head, pulling him into a kiss. And she dev oured him.

She wore a long skirt, and it was up past her hips instantly. The winter stockings gripped her thighs, leaving a strip of bare skin between them and her panties. He lost all control at t hat sight.

His hands tore at her underwear, ripping it aside while her own fingers dug at the zipper of his jeans.

He groaned again as her fingers found his member, giving it the smallest sip of relief as she squeezed his hardness. Her eyes glowed gold. It was too late. He hadn’t expected this to happen, but he wasn’t surprised. He was human now.

She scooted up against him, inviting the tip of him toward her entrance. “What are we doing?” she asked, nearly begged, even as he entered, slipping into her wet body, right there on Scarlet’s kitchen counter. Cuddling around him, she rested her head on his shoulder, and they clung together as they joined. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” she gasped, but it did nothing to stop her as she rocked her hips, grinding her bud ag ainst him.

He couldn’t say anything. Gripping her from behind, pulling her as close as he could, he started pounding into her. Her gasps came out small and sharp with each thrust. It was going too fast. Yet there was no stopping, no slowing. He could feel her draining on his energy as they coupled… as he fucked her. He didn’t care. She could have it all. He just needed to thrust.

Legs wrapped around him, pulling him tighter. She pressed her lips against his shoulder: a vain attempt to quiet her screams. Liquid gushed down his thighs as he thrust deeper and deeper. He could feel her trembling around him, spasming in pre-orgasm. Grasping her by the throat, he pressed her back onto the cooking surface, violating it with their musk, which only made what they were doing hotter. With his other hand, he tugged her hip hard against him. More leverage to thrust even harde r, deeper.

“Rafferty!” she strangled out, and she came. All her muscles clenched around his cock. Her body arched back and her breasts strained the buttons of her shirt, showing him peeks of the lace u nderneath.

It sent him over.

He thrust hard one f inal time.

For one dangerous moment, it all went, all of his essence and energy flowed into her, feeding her with his mind, body, and soul. She took it all, glowing brightly like a nova star being born. She would transcend and leave him behind, having completely consumed him, his deep satisfaction filling the void. To give her everything of him so she may be more… death would be sweet, oblivion a righteo us reward.

And then it came back.

He didn’t understand it, but the life force flowed back into him just as his heart had slowed to dangerous stillness. The pleasure he had felt when he came reignited, and he came a second time. He didn’t know such a thing was possible. Helena sat up, his angel burning bright, and wrapped her arms and legs around him again.

“I love you,” she breathed, and those words burned away the dark oblivion, the void of hell, waking him to a warmth and light he had never known before but that he had craved his whole existence. He held on in return in the torrent storm of celestial energy, a mere mortal man grasping at a hig her being.

And then it was over.

They were in the kitchen, having just fucked on th e counter.

The light was the same, artificial trying to m imic real.

Already, the cold void of hell and transcendent warmth faded from his memory, leaving only the heavy reality and sparking tingles of bitter pleasure.

“Wow!” Helena breathed, sitting up to smile into his face. “That was insane!” Then she laughed; joyful, merry peals that skipped lightly over his heart like stones over water. “Oh my God, I can’t believe we did that!”

Exhaustion weighed on his limbs then, and he slumped onto Helena, letting her hold him up as he tried to remember how t o breathe.

She seemed to have boundless energy. “ You okay?”

“Yes,” he managed to say, though he wasn’t entirely sure it was true. “Sex with one of us always comes with this sort of price.” Though he was confusing himself now. He was the human, she was the demon, so he should have said you. But he couldn’t say that.

Her laughter faded completely, giving way to her concern. “Did I hurt you?” she asked, threading her fingers once more through his hair.

He shook his head.

They held each other for a long silence, recovering while thoughts s lipped in.

“Why wasn’t it like that when we first slept together?” she aske d finally.

“I…” He shook his head. “I can’t remember. I… I wasn’t trying to steal your energy from you… I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“But it didn’t feel like this,” she said, her mind working now as she puzz led on it.

Rafferty just wanted to lie down on the floor and go to sleep. “I don’t know. You’re just better at sex than I am,” he answered.

“Oh, that’s not true,” she chided, nuzzling his n eck again.

He mirrored the action, placing a kiss on her soft skin. “I lost control with you,” he said. “I always lose control.”

“Hmm” was all she said, then she straightened, slapping his shoulder with comradery. “We better clean up before Scarlet comes in and we get caught.” She slid past him to jump down onto the floor, fixing her skirt and what remained of her panties as she did so. Numbly, Rafferty bent over to draw his own pants up, feeling vulnerable as he did so.

“I can’t believe we got away with that!” Helena said, her giddiness bordering on annoying.

Rafferty paused halfway up, looking toward the swinging kitchen door as a small, smugly smiling Scarlet shut it when their eyes mad e contact.

He didn’t have the heart to tell Helena that they hadn’t gotten awa y with it.