Page 61 of Demon's Heart

Onyx blinked rapidly, stepping back and bumping the wall. “I don’t have a mate. You can drag me into whatever shit you’re planning in this realm, but I’m not leaving. I’m never going back. Now get out of my fucking office.”

Dante grabbed Ash’s arm, pulling him away. It was best to leave. There’d be no changing Onyx’s mind today.

Fire burned in Onyx’s eyes as he shooed them out the window.

16

OLLIE

“I can’t believe I died.”Dante’s whine tickled Ollie’s ears.

He snorted with laughter. “That rogue portal really snuck up on you. Too bad a bunch of crawlers popped out and ate you.”

Dante huffed. “It wasn’t a fair fight. Where was my backup?”

“Guarding you from above, taking out that dragon. You’re welcome, by the way. You’d be doubly dead if I didn’t have the sky covered.”

Dante made a sound of reluctant agreement. “We almost had it. Do you have time for another mission? We can try again.”

Ollie adjusted his headphones, staring at Dante’s fire mage on-screen. “I should probably go to bed.” It was already an hour later than he usually stayed up, and last night, he’d only had a few hours of sleep between Dante coming over and his alarm going off. “You should get some sleep too.”

“I will,” Dante promised. “But if you need me again, we can figure something out where we can both rest.”

Like lying in bed together, Dante’s arms wrapped aroundhim. Ollie shook himself. “I’ll text if I have another bad night, but I’m hoping I can relax on my own.”

As much as he wanted to, Ollie couldn’t rely on Dante like that. It wouldn’t be good for him.

“Okay. Try meditating before bed if your thoughts stray to places you don’t like.”

“Yeah, sure,” Ollie lied. He had something else in mind.

They said goodnight and logged off, Ollie’s heart in his throat.

Dante had been on his mind all day. His fresh peppermint scent deepened by the hint of musk. The way his hard thigh had been the best pillow in Ollie’s life, even though that made no sense. Dante’s soft, understanding smile, and the way he’d shown up for Ollie like it was the most natural thing to do.

Were all these things so alluring because of the bond? Was magic influencing Ollie? Did he care?

Right now, he didn’t.

Ollie slipped into his room and shut the door. He closed his eyes, leaning back against the cool wood. Ollie wanted Dante’s hard body pressed against his. He wanted to get lost, licking every inch of Dante, touching him, indulging every one of his urges, and then he wanted to let Dante use him any way he saw fit.

Dante’s lips on Ollie’s neck. Hands on his hips, his ass, cradling his back. Dante’s teeth piercing Ollie’s skin.

Ollie hissed and palmed his cock through his shorts. He was already half-hard. Fuck.

He stripped out of his shorts and underwear, leaving them pooled by the door. His shirt landed across the room, near his hamper. Ollie beelined for his bedside table and opened the drawer, tossing lube and a vibrating butt plug on his bed.

Standing in the darkened room, Ollie stroked his cock until he was completely hard.

Dante’s firm grip would feel so much better than his. But he couldn’t have Dante if they were friends. He could only pretend.

Ollie closed his eyes, imagining Dante coming up behind him and bracketing his body, hot skin pressing against Ollie’s back. Dante’s demon fire would keep Ollie warm, his wings surrounding them as his lips pressed against the crook of Ollie’s neck.

He stroked himself faster and his heart rate climbed as his whole body flashed hot. Heat and sharp desire rolled through him before fading into something softer.

Dante held Ollie like he was precious. No one’s arms were like Dante’s, and he wasn’t even here with Ollie. How could Ollie feel so secure in an embrace that wasn’t really happening?

Ollie wanted Dante so much, but he was afraid of being with him for real. Shouldn’t the bond’s potential to take over his life and erase him as an individual kill his arousal and make Dante completely unappealing? Those fears usually did. But something in Ollie told him he was safe. He wasn’t ready to trust it, not fully, but tonight, he could imagine he and Dante were mates in every sense of the word.