Page 9 of Demon Seed (Mated to the Monster: Season 3)

Selene

H is arms are still around me, solid and warm against the chill that's settled into my bones. Vesper lays me down on our bed with such tenderness that fresh tears spring to my eyes. I can't stop shaking, can't chase away the vision of being ripped from him, dragged back into darkness.

"I'm not going anywhere.” The mattress dips beneath Vesper’s weight as he settles beside me, one hand cupping my face, thumbs brushing away the wetness on my cheeks. "Look at me, Selene. Look at your mate. Nothing will tear us apart. Not your family—not the entire damned universe."

I force myself to meet his gaze. Those eyes—storm-dark and fierce—anchor me to the present when my mind wants to spiral.

"They can't take you away from me," Vesper says, each word a vow. "I won't let them."

"You don't know what they're capable of," I whisper. "You don't understand what they’ll do to take me back," I manage, my voice breaking. "I have a terrible feeling they’ll tear us apart."

He pulls me closer, his warmth enveloping me like a shield. "Then we change it. Whatever future you glimpse, we rewrite it. Together."

His certainty should comfort me, but the cold dread still coils in my stomach. The Council has ways of enforcing their will that even Vesper can't imagine. I've seen what they do to those who defy them.

"What if we can't?"

Vesper presses his forehead to mine, silencing my fears with his closeness. His fingers thread through my hair, and I feel his lips press against my head. "Then I'll obliterate anyone who stands in my way to get back to you."

His hand finds mine, our fingers interlacing like they were made to fit together. I focus on the rhythm of his breathing until mine matches it. Slowly, the panic recedes like a tide pulling back from shore.

"I can still feel them searching," I admit.

"Then we'll fight them at every corner," he says, with such certainty in his voice that I almost believe him.

His lips brush against mine, tentative at first, then with a hunger that weakens my knees. Vesper pulls me closer, one hand at the small of my back, the other tangled in my hair. The world around us blurs—the distant sound of music, the cool night air on the balcony, all of it fades away until there's only us.

"Selene," he murmurs against my lips.

"Maybe we should wait until things calm down," I say, even as my hands betray me, sliding up his chest to feel his heartbeat racing beneath my fingertips. I can’t help myself. Vesper’s touch ignites something in me that I can't ignore, a fire spreading through my veins.

"Tell me to stop," he challenges, his forehead resting against mine, breath warm on my face. "Tell me you don't want this."

But I can't lie to him. Not now. Not when every part of me is screaming for more.

Instead of answering, I pull him back to me, our kiss deepening as the moonlight bathes us in silver. Vesper trails his fingertips down my bare shoulder, leaving a path of fire in their wake. I shiver despite the warmth of the room, my breath catching as his lips follow the same path.

"Are you cold?" he murmurs against my skin.

"No Far from it—I'm burning everywhere he touches.

His eyes meet mine in the dim light, pupils wide and dark with lust. The intensity I find there makes me tremble. I’ve known him for a day, and Vesper seems to guard his feelings, maintaining utter control in the presence of his demon legions. But now, as his hands slide down to my waist, that control seems to be fraying at the edges.

"Selene." He breathes my name like a prayer. "Tell me what you want."

Instead of answering, I reach up and tangle my fingers in his hair, pulling him back to me. His kiss deepens, no longer gentle but hungry and demanding. I match his urgency, arching against him as his hands explore the curves of my body with reverent attention.

Time seems to stretch and compress all at once. The world outside this room ceases to exist—there is only Vesper and the heat between us.

My breath catches as Vesper positions himself between my legs. His weight settles between my thighs, skin burning against mine like fever. His eyes, dark with desire, lock with mine as he grips his thick shaft, guiding it to my entrance. I gasp as the blunt head of his cock presses insistently into me, and my fingers dig into his shoulders, leaving half-moon indentations in his skin.

"Look at me," he commands, voice rough with need.

I'm already slick with want, my body trembling in anticipation.

"Tell me you want this.”

"Yes," I whisper, my fingers leaving his shoulders and digging into the sheets. "Please, Vesper."

Those impossibly dark eyes hold mine captive as he thrusts forward in one powerful stroke. The invasion steals my breath as he pushes forward, stretching me deliciously as he enters. I gasp at the exquisite pressure, my back arching off the bed. He doesn't stop until he's buried to the hilt, filling me so completely I can barely breathe.

"Fuck, Selene," he groans, his muscled arms braced on either side of my head. "You feel incredible."

He withdraws slowly, the drag of him against my inner walls sending sparks dancing across my vision before driving back in with enough force to make the headboard slam against the wall.

My body arches, a cry tearing from my throat as he establishes a merciless rhythm.

Each thrust pushes me higher, my legs wrapping around his waist, heels digging into the small of his back to pull him deeper. His hand slides beneath me, gripping my ass, angling my hips to hit that spot inside that makes coherent thought impossible.

"That's it," he groans against my neck, teeth grazing my pulse point. "Take it all like a good girl. Tell me what feels good.”

"There," I pant. "Right there."

Vesper's rhythm intensifies, his hips snapping against mine with increasing urgency. The sound of our bodies coming together fills the room, punctuated by my moans and his ragged breathing. Sweat glistens on his chest, and I reach up to trace the taut muscles there, marveling at how they flex with each powerful thrust.

"I want to feel you come," he demands, sliding his hand between us to circle my clit with his thumb. "Come for me, Selene."

The dam breaks. My body convulses, wave after wave of pleasure crashing through me. I cry out his name, the sound torn from somewhere deep inside as my vision explodes into stars. The intensity is almost frightening, stealing my breath, my thoughts, everything except the feeling of Vesper's hands, his lips, his body against mine as I shatter completely in his arms.

When I finally return to myself, trembling and gasping, Vesper's eyes are dark with satisfaction and hunger.

"Beautiful," he whispers, brushing damp hair from my face. "Absolutely beautiful."

"Vesper!” My body trembles with aftershocks as the embers of pleasure slowly cool within me. I feel exhausted and sated, yet somehow still craving so much more. How can pleasure so divine be found in the arms of such a wicked being?

"Selene," he whispers. The heat of his skin should scald me, but it only seeps into me, kindling the blazing fire he ignited the moment he first claimed my body.

I lift my head to meet his gaze, those amber eyes still burning with an intensity that makes my breath catch. The moonlight filtering through the window catches on his obsidian horns, giving them an ethereal glow. I reach up to touch them again, stroking them, fascinated by how they curve elegantly from his temples.

"You keep touching those, and we'll be starting round two sooner than planned," Vesper warns, his voice a low rumble that vibrates through his chest.

I smile, deliberately running my fingertip along the ridge of one horn. "Is that supposed to discourage me?"

He growls, the sound more playful than threatening, and rolls us until I'm pinned beneath him again. His weight is delicious, grounding me when I still feel like I might float away.

"You're playing with fire, little nymph," he says, nipping at my collarbone.

"Good thing I've always been drawn to flames.”