Page 64 of Demon Heart: The Complete Series
XAVIER
I regarded the witch as he pulled the jumper from his body.
“Roman—”
“Destroy the device and he’s got nothing.”
My hearts raced at his words. “Roman, no.”
He began to pace the elevator, his sweaty hair falling across his forehead. “I’m a dickhead. If I die, the device stops working and maybe everything can go back to normal. Magic will be safe.”
I hated hearing him speak like that. I grabbed him by the biceps, the elevator shaking back to life. “Stop. Just stop.”
“But—”
A surge of anger intensified the volume of my response. “No! I won’t let you die because of him.”
The witch paled, flinching. “But?—”
Life without him now? Unthinkable. “You can’t end your life because of the likes of Butterfly. He will not take you away from me.”
“But—”
“And don’t tell me you’re doing it for the greater good.”
He licked his lips. “Well, that’s what I was thinking.”
“Then you’re wrong.”
“Removing magic is wrong. Messing with the timeline is wrong.”
“Then we will stop it all.”
“But—”
“We just need to severely injure Butterfly and return him to this time. If you are in our time, he cannot touch you. He will spend his days waiting for his demise. As he should.”
“But—”
I resisted shaking him. “Anyway, I’m not so sure this device is so easily destroyed. Butterfly would be much more fearful if it were that vulnerable.”
“You tainted his mark.”
“Trust me, Roman. You wouldn’t be out of his sight, tainted mark or not, if your death meant the end of the device.”
He blinked up at me.
“Butterfly is a legend. He is a gifted demon.”
“I got that.” His head angled to the left slightly. “Take me away from you?”
The elevator juddered to a halt.
“You have to be alive, Roman. We’re only getting started.”
A second judder and the cogs started whining again, our destination reached.
He released a shaky breath, closing those beautiful amber eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my hands moving up to his neck. “This isn’t the time for?—”
He grabbed my face and went to his tiptoes, crushing his sensuous lips to mine. The colliding of our flesh set off an explosion of sparks, clearing the murkiness of our situation.
In that moment I only saw him. Felt him, tasted the blood and dirt and sweat of him.
I moaned, parting my lips, the kiss quickly becoming wet. Delicious. He dug his fingertips gently into my face, moving closer on those tiptoes.
A storm of emotions rained down on me, driving my impulses, awakening every desire. I took him, lifting him. He followed my meaning, wrapping his legs around my waist, not breaking our joined lips.
I staggered back into the wall, holding him firmly. Kissing up as he kissed down, his tongue finding mine.
Yes. Yes. Yes. He broke through the gloom of my past, the agony over Ismael. Every piece of confusion, every sorrow died under each scintillating second. It would return, of course, but for now there was only this man who turned my head, the past in the past.
Ismael must stay there…
Roman spoke without taking his kiss away. “Can we stay like this?”
Craving more of him, I slid a hand down his bare back, teasing the band of his jeans. Never mind his filthy, smelly state. I wanted him, warts and all as the humans often said.
He broke this kiss, catching his breath. “Wait…”
“What is it?”
He panted some more, groaning as I nibbled his earlobe.
“Xavier…”
I kissed that lovely neck. “Let me fuck the pain away for both us.” I drew lines on his skin with my tongue.
“Oh, God… Yes… No! Yes… No. That would be so great, but…”
I sucked on his salty skin.
“Fuck…”’
“Say the word and I’ll?—”
“No!” He tapped me on the crown. “Not here. Not like this. It’s gross.”
“Nothing about you is gross.”
“Aw, thanks. But I’m not into sweaty sex. Well, I like getting sweaty, but not before. Only during.” His forehead creased.
I cupped one of his ass cheeks, giving it a squeeze. “I think you smell so good.”
Disgust almost cut lines in his face. “Time to put me down.”
I jutted out my bottom lip.
He flicked it with his finger. “This isn’t the place for this.” He licked me off his lips.
“You have no idea how hard I am.” No untruth there, my cock a raging stone in my trousers.
His cheeks flushed, hunger flashing in his eyes. “Don’t talk like that.”
Our eyes locked, the heat rising, mouths slowly moving to reconnect.
He pulled back. “Please, Xavier. Not now.”
“As you wish.”
“I owe you.” He offered me a seductive smile, which soon melted into sadness. “Oh, shit.” Tears glistened in those enrapturing amber orbs.
I let him stand again, catching the first drops. “Roman…”
“Sorry.” He closed his eyes, more tears breaking free. “This is just too much to take. I don’t know what to do and I feel so fucking weak. I can’t stand it, Xavier. I can’t stand any of it.”
I cradled his head, being the strength for his fragility.
“We should get out of here.” His eyes remained closed.
“Take your time. We will move when you’re ready.”
A series of shaky breaths passed his lips, his eyes opening. “I’m ready.”
I took his hand, concerned over his talk of ending the device, and potentially his life. “We will get through this.”
“I really hope so.”
I will not allow you to vanish from my world…