Page 15

Jesset was scantily dressed in sheer silk that wrapped around her neck in a crisscross to just cover her full breasts. If she moved the wrong way, they would be saying hello to the world. The material was tied with a ribbon at her waist, falling down the front and back of her body, but leaving the sides completely exposed. Little fawn-like horns poked out of her long auburn hair. Her hips swayed with grace and sensuality.

Gardeness was a castle of sex—a pansexual orgy. Boy-girl. Girl-girl. Boy-boy. And every other combination in between. Five. Six. Ten participants. The number or the sex didn’t matter. Pleasure was the only significant factor.

I’d never considered myself a prude and had seen my fair share of romantic situations, but holy shit. The things going on inside Verena’s castle made me feel like a virgin. My cheeks grew warm as we were led through the halls, passing by room after room of lewd acts.

“Are you blushing, luv?” Ashor whispered, leaning down so his breath brushed against my hair.

“It’s hot here,” I replied in my defense. A lie. And he knew it.

We were shown to a wing of the castle and then to a suite of rooms. It was in the lavish lounge where Jesset left us, shutting the door behind her. Pillows were stacked on the floor around low tables. The ceiling was draped in sheer fabrics gathered together at the center of the room.

Neither of us said anything at first. I waited for the sound of a lock clicking in place to solidify the reality of my lavish prison.

“There are no locks on the doors,” Ashor finally said, noticing my lingering gaze. “But you can bet your ass she has guards stationed outside. So I’d think twice about sneaking around the castle at night or alone. And don’t think about going out the window,” he said, anticipating my thoughts.

“As far as prisons go, this one isn’t so bad,” I said, scanning the space. “I’ve stayed in worse.”

“Don’t let the sparkle and beauty fool you. There is evil within these walls. And I’d rather not see the inside of Verena’s dungeons. Again,” he added.

I shook my head. “I don’t even want to know.” But I would take his word on the evil that slept inside this facade of a castle.

As silence stretched between us, it hit me that we were finally alone, and I had a lot to say. I wandered into the bedroom as I told myself not to think about the fact that we were sharing a room. The prince leaned against the bedroom door once he shut it behind him, bathing the room in absolute darkness. The blinds were all closed, shutting out the sunlight, and for the first time since I’d stepped through Hell’s Gate, he looked at ease.

But I was feeling anything but calm.

I whirled on the prince, letting loose the storm suddenly churning inside me. “You better start explaining what the hell is going—”

His lips were on mine, silencing me with a kiss that could destroy worlds. I hadn’t even seen him move. He was just there in front of me, kissing with a power that wrecked me and all those disorderly feelings beating within me. I didn’t relinquish immediately, but it was a winless battle. When it came to Ashor, I could only yield.

My body melted into his. This moment had played out in my head a million different ways, but nothing compared to the real thing. Ashor wasn’t a dream or vision. He was here in the flesh for my fingers to touch, for my lips to kiss, for my soul to breathe. I was also afraid he would stop kissing me and then the reality of where we were would sink back in, banishing the small amount of happiness we found in each other.

And yet, we couldn’t hide from our problems. They wouldn’t be solved as long as his lips were claiming mine, yet I didn’t have the strength to protest. I needed this as much as he did. Ashor could be taken from me at any moment’s notice, and the thought of another separation, regardless of how short the distance, sliced through my soul. The truth was, we were at the mercy of another queen. “Ashor,” I whispered, a tinge of warning in my voice, but it was weak.

“It can wait another minute, but I can’t,” he murmured, taking possession of my lips again, and I sank against him, giving in fully to the kiss.

Just another minute, I promised myself.

When did I begin the habit of lying to myself?

I’d kiss Ashor until the world around us crumbled.

Rising up on my toes, I sank my fingers into his hair, pressing myself against his hard frame. He was trapped between the wall and me—such a triumphant position to hold. Of course, the last thing I should be doing was wishing I could lock the damn door and beg Ashor to take me right here against the wall.

There was much for us to discuss, and all I wanted to do was keep on kissing him. My priorities were seriously fucked-up, but after months of being separated from my mate, this impulse to be as close to him as a person could get wouldn’t be subdued. My fingers dipped under his shirt, running up over his flat lower stomach where a whorl of tattoos spread over his skin. “You just can’t kiss me every time I want to talk to you,” I murmured.

He kissed the tip of my nose. “But it’s so effective.”

“So is my knee to your groin, but I don’t unman you every time you piss me off.”

His chuckle was soft and cool on my face. “I kissed you not to silence you, but to calm the turmoil both our demons are feeling. I kissed you because I needed to feel you. I kissed you to steady us both.”

My heart flipped. “Fine. I get it. But if you keep kissing me like that, we’re going to spend the whole night in bed.”

Firm hands gripped my ass. “I hope so.” He lifted me up, and I had no choice but to wrap my legs around him. He carried me across the room, setting us both down on the large bed that filled the center of the room, the fluffy mattress absorbing our combined weight.

I resituated myself on his lap, watching his violet eyes flare. The look there said I better talk fast, because he had other plans for my lips. “We need to talk,” I said, flattening my palms on his chest and pressing slightly. “Then maybe we can do other stuff.”

“You have my attention.” His fingers said otherwise as they roamed and traced over me leisurely. Those smoldering eyes watched my lips with dark hunger that caused my body to flush.

Be strong, Lexi.And I was the one who was supposed to be part sex demon. “Why are you really here? I don’t believe the queen could have imprisoned you, not unless you wanted it. I know about the oath you made with your mother. You have an agenda.”

Not an ounce of surprise flickered through his features. “I always have an agenda. It’s what makes us royals, royal. Besides, it’s best we let Verena think she has the upper hand.”

“And does she? Have the upper hand?” We were in her house, guarded round the clock. No matter what Ashor had planned, there were still risks. Shit could hit the fan. And considering who I was dealing with… it wasn’t a matter of if but when all hell broke loose.

It was coming. I could feel it, despite the prince trying to mask his web of deception from me. When dealing with a queen bee like Kali, someone was bound to get the shit stung out of them. I just prayed to god it wasn’t Angel or Verena. If the Queen of Darkness poisoned either one of them with her venom, it would be the beginning of an underworld takeover, which would bleed into the mortal world.

I shuddered to think what someone like Kali could do with all that power.

His gaze flicked just above my head before returning to mine. “It still looks good on you.”

My lips turned down. “You can’t avoid all my questions.”

Soft and luscious lips caressed mine, tasting like the ocean during winter. “Why talk when there are so many other more enjoyable things to be doing?” His mouth captured mine again, and I gave myself another moment of pleasure to enjoy the feel of it, but I didn’t let myself sink in—not like I terribly wanted to.

Under my palm, his heartbeat quickened. Dazed, I remembered his words. “What looks good on me?” I asked, circling back to his comment.

“My crown.”

I rolled my eyes. “So I’ve been told. How about you take this thing back?” I lifted my hands to take the crown and put it back where it rightfully belonged.

His fingers wrapped around my wrists midair, drawing them away from the crown to nestle against his chest. He shook his head. “I don’t think so, luv. I like it where it is. Besides, I have others. Royalty perks.”

“So you haven’t been disowned?”

A grin of pure wickedness appeared. “I’m her only true heir. My mother wouldn’t dare disown me.”

Thrones of Hell weren’t necessarily inherited. They were more often than not taken by brute force, the kingdom transferred upon the destruction of the only thing a demon had left—its soul. But a queen or king at any time could pass the throne to an heir if they had one. Kali’s reign was far from over. The only way Ashor would become the King of Darkness was by killing his own mother. “So the crown you insist I keep, is this another way for you to claim me?”

A twinkle sparkled in his eyes. “If it is?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I haven’t even decided if I want to be mated to you.”

The pad of his thumb ran back and forth over my bottom lip, parting them. “You’ve had months to consider and you’re telling me you still haven’t made up your mind?”

My response was a flick of my tongue over his thumb, tasting the potency of his skin, and my demon purred with delight. My demon was a harlot.

A deep rumble vibrated in his chest. “Perhaps you need more convincing….” The sudden silky and seductive quality to his voice sent two very opposite signals off in my body.

According to my mother, seducing Ashor should come naturally to me, but it was Ashor who seduced me. “We’re not done talking, princeling.” Looking into his sultry face, I was seconds away from saying, screw it. Seeing him changed everything. I still intended to find a way out of this mess, but I couldn’t unless I had all the facts.

The pad of his thumb continued to roll over my bottom lip, thoroughly distracting me. “How did I know you were going to say that?”

“Probably because you’re in my head.”

“I don’t need to read your thoughts to know that you are up to something.” His eyes narrowed, watching with a different intensity. “What is it?”

“I am not,” I protested, attempting to keep my voice level and nonchalant. I failed.

“Lexi,” he rumbled.

I tried to wiggle off his lap and onto the bed, but he wasn’t having it. “Are you done being a righteous prick?”

Amusement glittered in his eyes. “God, how I’ve missed you.”

I swallowed. “You have?”

Genuine surprise brightened his alluring features. “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

I shrugged. He wasn’t always the easiest demon to read. Ashor might know what was going on inside my mind, but I was clueless. “You just seemed… tied up.”

That glorious mouth twitched. “Did I? Have you’ve been in my head?. So tell me, how much have you seen?”

I leveled him a serious glare. “Enough to know you’re going to get us all killed.”

Ashor tilted his head to the side as his fingers slid into the back pocket of my jeans. “Is that so? How did you break through my wards?”

I needed space or I was going to shove him back on the bed and attack with my mouth. This time I managed to untangle myself from him and sit beside him on the bed. I expected the small amount of distance to offer a reprieve from the humming of my body. Nope. “I didn’t break your wards, at least not consciously. I didn’t even know you had wards, but I was informed that you’ve been cloaking the truth from me, or trying to.”

“Hmm.” He pursed his lips, shifted his body so he was angled toward me. “It appears I’m going to have to be more careful. Our connection runs deeper than I thought.”

I sensed that he wanted to reach for me again, needed to touch me, and that same need rippled within me. “You can’t always protect me or shield me from what is happening. That’s not how this works.”

“Is that what you’re really worried about?”

“What else should I be worried about?” I countered, trying to play it cool.

“That I might die, perhaps?”

I pretended to ignore the sudden spike in my heart his question created. “Why is it wrong to want you to live?”

Arrogance lifted at his lips. “It isn’t wrong. I just wanted to hear you say it.”

“Asshole,” I muttered.

He chuckled again, tugging at the ends of my hair. “Tell me you missed me, luv.”

I grabbed his hand, the one playing with my hair, and pushed back the sleeve of his shirt to reveal the blood oath his mother had marked on him. With the tip of my nail, I traced over the lines. “Only if you promise to find a way to break your oath.”

His arrogance flickered, and I swore I saw a flash of regret. “You know that isn’t possible.”

I wasn’t taking his lame cop-out. “Anything is possible. Just look at us. I’m alive because of you.”

“Your faith in me is commendable, but I won’t have you part of this. You shouldn’t have come back.”

It would be a lie to say his words didn’t hurt. I wanted him to want me with him, but on the flip side, I understood his motives for wishing I had stayed put. Regardless, I couldn’t help but ask, “Why?”

“Because I won’t be able to let you go a second time,” he said in a soft voice, eyes directly on mine.

My lips shifted into a stupid grin. “Good. Because I’m not sure I want you to. Whether I like it or not, I’m a part of you and you’re part of me.” I curled my fingers into his shirt.

“How is it you have the ability to make me risk everything?” he breathed, and the shadows in the room gathered closer.

I fought the urge to flinch under his intense stare. He had a way of seeing past all my barriers and defensive walls. It was disconcerting to have someone see so much of me. There were parts of me I didn’t even like to look at. “I didn’t go looking for you.”

“Nor I for you, but here we are.”

“Here we are,” I echoed. Tonight hadn’t gone according to plan. My only consolation was we were together… for the moment. Who knew what the fuck Verena had planned for us. Frowning, I let my eyes roam over the sharp lines of his face and came to the realization that I could stare at the Prince of Darkness for hours and never grow bored. “I don’t want to waste time bickering.”

His dark chuckle brushed over my lips. “Impatient.”

I snorted. “We were apart for months. That’s all my patience can handle.”

“A few months is nothing when you’ve lived as long as I have.” His finger traced down the column of my neck. “Besides, I enjoy our bickering.”

He would. “You never did tell me how old you are.”

“Didn’t I?” He blessed me with one of those fucking killer half grins that made him look dangerous.

My brain scattered for a second before my wits returned. “What happens if things don’t go according to your plan? What happens if your mother succeeds in taking her throne?”

Ashor brushed the hair off my neck and ran a finger along the demon marks claiming me as his. My breaths wavered, growing uneven. “We’ll deal with it.”

“That’s all you have to say? We’ll deal with it.”

“Why is every moment with you never dull?”

“Because I bathe in rainbow dust,” I replied dryly. “And ride bareback on unicorns.”

A chuckle rumbled in his chest. “I might actually believe you, Lexi luv. The truth of it is, you’ll always be in danger with me.” He seemed so calm, yet his eyes were too dark.

“I don’t believe that,” I whispered, closing the space between us. I buried my face into his neck and inhaled his scent. How had everything gone so wrong? My heart kicked in my chest. “Without you, I’m a mess.”

He continued to hold me, brushing his lips over my hair. “Behave.”

I pressed closer to him. “I’m trying to convince myself this is real and not another dream. It’s been forever, and I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.” Or want to, but there was no questioning how deeply rooted the prince was into my life. I wanted him for as long as we could be together.

“Three months is hardly forever.”

My nose wrinkled as I lifted my head to look at him. “Is this what our relationship is going to be? You in the underworld. Me in the mortal world. And both of us counting down the days until the next hunt?”

“I haven’t figured out what to do about you yet, but knowing you were safe, away from the perils of the underworld, was enough. But now…”

That plan imploded the second I stepped back into Hell. I opened my mouth to tell him that it wasn’t enough for me, that even though I hadn’t made up my mind about just what it was I wanted from Ashor, I wanted the opportunity to be with him. I couldn’t very well do that if I only got to see him for a few hours each year. All of this was on the tip of my tongue.

Ashor knitted his brows, angling his head to the side as he pinned me with a look. “Lexi.” My name tumbled from his lips with an edge of hardness.

Whenever he said my name without the word luv attached to it, he meant business. I wasn’t the least bit intimidated. “You don’t scare me.”

His lips curled with a touch of cruelty, as if he was reminding me just who he was. “After everything you’ve seen, you should be. I don’t know what that says about you.”

I grinned smugly. “That I’m brilliant.”

“You are many things and will no doubt continue to surprise me in the most infuriating ways. Now tell me who was foolish enough to smuggle you inside?” he asked, switching topics.

I cringed, wanting to avoid this subject. “Why does it matter? I’m here.”

“You couldn’t have pulled this off on your own. You had someone on the inside,” he pressed on, assuming that I had sought out a demon for help, which I had.

I ran an invisible zipper across my lips. “I’m sworn to secrecy. And stay out of my head. My mind is off-limits.”

He leaned in, his breath cool against my skin, and purred, “What about your body?”

I swallowed.

Shit.

When he said things like that, in that voice of dark silk, my toes curled and my core heated to molten lava.

Damn him.

I clamped my lips together, biting back a moan.

He didn’t kiss me as I wanted, but continued down the path of theorizing how I came to the underworld. “I can only think of one person stupid enough to jeopardize his soul and gamble against the queen’s wrath.”

My lips remained sealed, but in my head, I was rambling. Someone who has an eternity of guilt, remorse, pain, and horror to repent.

Ashor swore, raking a hand through his hair. “Do you know what you’ve done? What you and Cayden have both done?”

A scowl formed on my mouth. “I told you to stay out of my head.” I didn’t deny that his friend was the demon who helped orchestrate my entrance to Hell. “Besides, I came back for you. You’re welcome,” I snapped, feeling trickles of irritation in my blood.

He laced his fingers with mine and stared down at our joined hands. “I never said I wasn’t grateful you are here, only that there will be consequences. You’ve walked right into the middle of a brewing war, luv.”

I had known the probability of Kali’s retaliation was high, but it was a risk I’d been willing to take. He wasn’t telling me anything I hadn’t already weighed and considered. “I’ve learned everything in Hell comes with strings attached.”

A breath later, I found myself flat on the bed with Ashor hovering over me, eyes bright—his demon eyes. “You’ve put a target on your back.”

Lightning zipped through my veins, equal parts anger and desire. I longed to see that other side of him, those impressive wings. The eyes alone weren’t enough. Could I push him over the edge? Did I want to? I narrowed my gaze, staring straight into his glowing eyes. “I’ve had a target on my back my entire life.”

His focus shifted to my lips, and the gold in his eyes burned fiercer. “Something else we have in common. How is it I find you so attractive when you’re spitting mad? You are more beautiful than I remember, even with the visions.”

I gave him a snarky little smirk. “Flattery and sweet words won’t work on me.”

His lips twitched as if calling me a liar. “Now that you have me, what is it you plan to do with me?”

I shook my head. “Not what you’re thinking.” At least not right this second. My attraction to the demon prince had only intensified during our absence, and seeing him now, the months of wanting slammed into me. “But I am starting to think this wasn’t such a great idea.” Me. The Prince of Darkness. Alone.

What could possibly happen?

Too much.

And the thought suddenly both excited and terrified me.

His fingers brushed against my thigh. “It’s too late to turn back. And now that I’ve seen you, I don’t know that I have the strength to leave you a second time.”

I placed a hand over his back, feeling the corded muscles bunch under his shirt. Electric energy sparked between us, and it would only take a single touch to ignite a fire potent enough to burn the world. At least, that was how I felt on the inside, a cold fire of darkness flickered in my veins. “I wouldn’t leave,” I said with set determination. “Not without you.”

Specks of violet flickered into the center of his demon eyes. “We must be careful. Like all royals, Verena has spies everywhere. She doesn’t trust me.”

My fingers traced down his spine. “And rightly so.”

A grin of pure wickedness flashed over the prince’s face. “I think that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said about me.”

I tugged playfully on a cluster of dark hair curling along his nape. “Whatever.”

“You might be of Queen Verena’s court, but you are not safe within these walls,” he warned, some of the demon receding from his eyes.

“I kind of figured that out.”

His hard body sank deeper onto mine. “Don’t trust her. She is remarkable at deception.”

I raised a brow. “Better than you?”

Again, he gave me one his half smiles that made my heart skip. “Now you insult me.”

“Since you seem to be interested in uncovering truths, are you going to tell me what you’re planning? And don’t feed me your it’s-better-if-you-don’t-know bullshit. We’d already been down the road before.”

“And it worked, if I recall.”

“You aren’t really going to let your mother…?” I made a slashing motion across my throat.

I had more or less been joking, but the seriousness that dropped over his features was all too real. “There are no lengths I won’t go to if it means keeping you safe.”

Uneasiness coiled in the pit of my stomach at the thought of Ashor and his mother going toe to toe. Darkness fighting darkness. “That’s not the answer I was looking for.”

“I can’t give you the one you want,” he murmured, rubbing his nose against mine. “But I can promise that I will protect you at all costs. You are mine.”

“So possessive,” I teased to lighten those hard lines over his brows, but I took comfort in his vow as well as in his arms… at least for the night.