Page 16 of Inferno (Drake Security Book 4)

MONTROSE

Istand rooted to my spot for a minute or so after Valentino disappears, my heart thundering as I try to tamp down the floral scent pouring from me. Tino’s reaction to it has me feeling a little shaky and off balance—both feelings I’m not used to, nor do I like them.

I wasn’t lying when I told him that the ability to call up a nostalgic scent for someone else is extremely advanced incubus magic, but I wasn’t being completely truthful either. There are other circumstances I’ve heard of that can cause the phenomenon to happen unintentionally…

I huff a laugh at myself and carefully shimmy out of my fabulous gold outfit. It’s more likely that my inner demon was trying to subdue the dragon who is, for all intents and purposes, our captor at the moment. The slight tug at the center of my chest is all the reminder I need that I’m bound to Valentino, unable to flee. Not that I have anywhere to flee to at the moment. I rub the spot where I can feel our binding, noticing a slightly shivery, anxious feeling that I don’t think belongs to me.

What does Valentino have to feel so nervous about? And why do I have the urge to cuddle up with the big, sexy dragon, stroke his hair, and promise to chase all his worries away? A mildly unhinged laugh bubbles in my throat as I put my new outfit on a hanger and place it in the large closet.

It’s been a stressful day. That’s all any of this is. Satan’s balls, was it really only this morning that I turned up on Valentino’s front step? It feels like a fucking century ago. Exhaustion settles over me, along with the weight of all the emotional whiplash I’ve dealt with today.

My hearing is sensitive enough that I can detect Valentino at work in the kitchen downstairs. The clang of cookware and the sizzle of something cooking are strangely comforting, I’d dare to call them nostalgic if I’d even once in my long life had anyone cook for me.

I take my time unpacking my shopping bags and putting my new clothes away before getting dressed in something comfortable for the night. I pull on a pair of couture sweatpants that cling to my perky ass deliciously, and a designer loungewear crop top that’s so soft it’s sinful. Fully leaning into the ‘night in’vibes, I pull my long hair up into a high pony, then finally leave the bedroom.

The smell of something spicy tickles my nose as I flounce down the stairs and into the kitchen. Whatever Tino was feeling a few minutes ago, it seems to be under control now. The feelings vibrating through our binding are carefully neutral as he looks over his shoulder at me.

“I wasn’t sure what you like, but I had some peppers and chicken, so I thought I’d make fajitas.”

My mouth waters. I bypass the stools tucked close to the center island and instead come around the counter, hopping up to sit next to the stove.

“Fajitas are my favorite. I was actually living in West Texas when they first became popular, and I swear they might have been the only thing keeping me from wiping out the entire state out of sheer boredom.” I roll my eyes dramatically and laugh, reaching past him to snag a sizzling pepper out of the pan. The heat sears my fingers pleasantly before I pop it into my mouth with a soft moan. “A dash more cayenne and it will be perfect.” I lick my lips, and I don’t miss the way Valentino’s eyes track the motion.

He nods and grabs the spice off the rack on the other side of the stove to add another sprinkle to the pan.

“When was that?” he asks.

I drag my gaze to the ceiling while I do the mental calculation of when that would have been. “It was before the last big war, so it would’ve had to be the nineteen-thirties.”

He nods and a smile twitches on his lips.

“What?” I ask, reaching over to grab another bite out of the pan. Tino chuckles and slaps my hand away with his spatula. I hiss at the light sting and shift my legs wider to accommodate my cock’s reaction. His eyes drop to the stiffening bulge between my thighs, and tendrils of lust appear not only in his scent, but weaving through our binding, which only encourages my cock. The fact that he got me all hot and bothered earlier and then didn’t let me come means my balls are aching now.

I purr deep in my chest and Tino snaps his gaze back up to my face, clearing his throat.

“Nothing, it’s just that you talking so casually about being in West Texas nearly a hundred years ago reminded me how much time I’ve spent trying to make conversation with the humans I’ve pulled into my bed over the past couple of decades,” he answers the question I nearly forgot I asked while his eyes had been on me.

“Do you prefer humans, deliciae?” I ask, keeping my tone light even though there’s an odd twist in my chest, almost like I’m afraid he might reject me. Ha. Since when does an incubus fear rejection? It’s absurd.

He shakes his head. “Not necessarily. I’m pretty equal opportunity, but there are a lot more humans around, so I probably pick them up more often than anything else.”

I hum thoughtfully. “Truth be told, I’ve always told myself I prefer humans, but I’m not quite sure why anymore when dragons are so much fun.” I flash him a smile and his eyes flicker into slits momentarily.

With his dragon close to the surface, his feelings vibrate even more strongly through the binding spell. I wonder why that is. I’ve never bothered to learn much about witch magic, but maybe I should have. Tino pulls his dragon back, then turns his attention to the food on the stove again.

“This is almost done. Do you want to grab plates?” He points at the cupboard behind my head.

I hop off the counter and get the plates as requested. Once our food is dished up, he looks back and forth between the stools in front of the counter and the doorway that seems to lead to a formal dining room.

“Would you be terribly offended if I suggested we eat in front of the television?” I tempt him with a wicked smile.

“Thank fuck. I am so ready to zone out and watch some terrible reality television after this shitshow of a day,” he says with a groan.

“Reality TV?” I gasp gleefully as we head into the living room.

“Don’t judge me. I know it’s trash, I just?—”

“Judge you? Darling, I absolutely live for petty human dating drama.” I plop down on his couch and swipe the remote off the coffee table before he can get to it. Tino takes up the spot right next to me while I open one of his streaming apps and squeal happily when I see that there’s a new season of one of my favorites, and Tino hasn’t watched it yet either.

I put it on, and the two of us dig into our food. To my delight, Valentino is just as snarky as I am, making comments about the humans as they’re introduced and give their initial talking head full of contrite bullshit about how they’re here to find true love, when we all know that by episode three they’ll be more worried about whatever Becky said than with winning the heart of their supposed dream man.

I lean into him little by little until he throws one arm over the back of the couch and resorts to eating one handed. If asked, I’m fully prepared to blame the witchy voodoo binding me to Valentino for the fact that I’m practically sitting in his lap by the time we finish eating.

“Can I ask you something?” He absently tickles his fingertips along the bare skin of my arm.

“Sure, dragon, what’s on your mind?” I turn to look at him and see his gaze lingering on my hand, which somehow ended up resting on his thigh without me realizing. He reaches down with the arm that isn’t wrapped around me, and drags his index finger over my ring.

A shiver runs through me and I curl my fingers reflexively.

“How did Mac get your ring in the first place?”

I bark out a laugh. “Your brother is a rather impressive thief,” I confess.

Tino’s eyebrows jump up. “Really? Something tells me I shouldn’t let him know that a demon said that. It’ll just go to his head.”

I chuckle again. “Yes, I imagine it would. I was out at a nightclub a couple of months ago, dressed fabulously, wearing rings on every finger, and dripping with so much swagger it should’ve been illegal. He approached me and I assumed he was interested in the same kind of fun I was looking for that night.”

Valentino’s jaw ticks and a growl rumbles in his throat.

I pat his thigh. “Relax, deliciae. I didn’t fuck your brother.”

“I already know that.” He harrumphs. “But that’s good. I’d hate to have to kill him.”

The flavor of possessiveness fills the air and sears through our binding. It’s almost as delicious as dinner was. Maybe one day when we’re no longer hiding from a deranged demon, we can go to the club together and I can drive Valentino utterly insane flirting with other men until he hauls me off and fucks me in the parking lot to remind me who I belong to.

My cock throbs and my mouth waters at just how tasty that would be.

I give my head a little shake to clear the fantasy and return to the story.

“We didn’t fuck,” I reiterate. “We drank and we flirted, and he grabbed my hand more than once, holding it playfully while he made eyes at me and fed me a dizzying buffet of emotion.” Tino grumbles again, but I don’t stop to reassure him again, I just squeeze his thigh and continue. “And then he told me he had to be going and just left. I was confused and annoyed, but I wasn’t overly bothered by his sudden departure. I assumed maybe he was in a relationship already and flirting was as much of an indulgence as he allowed himself. It wasn’t until I got home a few hours later that I noticed my ring was missing and put two and two together.”

I flex my finger, reminding myself that it’s back safe and sound where it belongs. What bothered me more than anything that night was that he stole this ring in particular. Of all the jewelry I had on, why this ring? He couldn’t have known its significance. And even if he did, why? It’s not valuable to anyone but me.

“What a little shit,” Valentino grumbles, shaking his head.

I smile and laugh lightly, surprised to find that any ill feelings I had towards the sticky-fingered baby dragon are long gone now.

“No harm done.” My eyes meet Tino’s, and I realize how close we are now, our noses nearly touching. “I wouldn’t have met you if he hadn’t stolen from me, so maybe I should thank the little twerp.”

“You also wouldn’t be on the shit list of a psychopathic demon out for revenge,” he reminds me, his gaze darkening as his breath puffs over my lips.

“I’m a demon, deliciae. If I haven’t ended up on anyone’s shit list, I’m having a very slow decade.”

I let out a self-deprecating chuckle, but it’s barely past my lips before Valentino’s mouth is there, devouring the sound.

VALENTINO

I can’t explainthe surge of possession and protectiveness that Montrose’s words cause, all I know is that I couldn’t have kept myself from kissing him if my life depended on it. He moans against my mouth, his lips parting for me easily. I can taste the spice on his lips and a sweeter flavor underneath that I’m pretty sure is all Montrose.

I wrap my hand around the back of his neck and haul him into my lap. He scrambles to follow my wordless command, straddling my thighs and threading his fingers into my hair, melting into the kiss and taking control of it in the same breath. A wave of pheromones rolls off of him, but for the first time, they don’t make me dizzy or hazy. I drag in a lungful of his scent, and I find myself more interested in what lies beneath the manufactured lust.

I break away from his lips and drag my nose along the curve of Montrose’s jaw, inhaling deeply. My eyelids flutter and my dragon happily catalogs the scent of lilac on the demon’s skin that matches the bottle of lotion I saw in one of his bags earlier. Under that, I can just barely pick out the smell of woodsmoke and the sweet notes that match the flavor of his mouth. It’s so much better than the pheromones. It’s Montrose. No… it’s Xazedose.

I suck a patch of his soft skin between my teeth and he hisses, canting his hips and letting his head loll back to give me more space to work with.

“You’re torturing me, deliciae. If permanent blue balls are my penance for giving in to my lust for you when I knew you were related to Mac, I’m not sure I’ll survive it.” He moans dramatically.

My dick throbs and my dragon whimpers, the cockwhipped beast pleading with me to soothe the pretty demon and give him anything his heart desires, including endless orgasms on demand. My laughter turns into a groan as soon as I realize my dragon is going to win this one. I release my bite and a rumble of satisfaction vibrates in my throat at the temporary sight of the mouth shaped bruise on Montrose’s throat before it quickly heals and fades away.

“Are all demons so dramatic, or is that more of a you thing?” I ask, wrapping my arms around him and swinging him around to lay down on the couch.

“Little of both,” he admits with a gasp.

I brace my hands over his head and look down at him for a moment, rolling my hips so he can feel the thick, aching shape of my arousal against his. He moans and arches his back, his legs wrapped firmly around my hips as if he’s afraid I’ll try to get away if he lets go of me. I nudge the hem of his shirt with my fingers and Xazedose purrs. I bury my nose against his sternum and breathe him in again, nuzzling his silky soft skin with my nose, then lapping at it with my tongue. I push his short t-shirt higher, leaving wet stripes all along his ribcage, working my way up to his dark pink nipples, tightened into hard peaks.

With my dragon so close to the surface, my body temperature rises, every swipe of my tongue searing Xazedose’s skin, leaving hot pink stripes that heal almost instantly, just like the bruise did. He moans and writhes under me, tangling his fingers in my hair and pushing my head downward.

I chuckle and tug his nipple between my teeth. He hisses and arches up into me again. The salty scent of his precum tickles my nose and makes my cock leak too.

“Is there something you want, sweetheart?” I taunt him, dragging the flat of my tongue over that same nipple once I release it from the bite.

“I swear to fuck, Tino, if you’re planning to get me all worked up and then not suck my cock, I will burn your fucking house down.” There’s a hoarse desperation in his voice that would be funny as hell if it weren’t so fucking hot.

I moan and cant my hips to grind my cock against his again before I take pity on him and change my trajectory, kissing down his chest and belly towards the waistline of his sweatpants. I’m cruel enough for a brief detour, spending a minute or two flicking my tongue around the rim of his belly button, licking and nipping at it the same way I would love to do to his hole.

“Valentino,” he whines, yanking roughly on my hair and jerking his hips so the hard outline of his cock bumps against my chin through his pants.

I hook my fingers into his pants to tug them down, and something stirs inside of me. This doesn’t feel like it did before. His pheromones are still thick in the air, we’re both still breathless and desperate, every inch of me is still aching to touch and taste him… but something has shifted. Is it the binding spell?

No, that would have affected me earlier when I forced him to his knees and fucked his throat.

Xazedose’s impatience keeps me from contemplating it any longer. He lifts his hips and shimmies his pants down when I’m too slow, then wraps his fingers around the base of his cock and points it at my lips.

I grin and lean in just enough to brush my lips over the slick crown of his reasonably sized, human-shaped erection.

“This isn’t what I want, Xaze,” I murmur, flicking my tongue out to catch a droplet of precum.

His eyes darken and a noticeable shiver runs through his body.

“What do you prefer, pet?” He humps against my lips, just barely catching the head of his cock between them but not finding the leverage to force his way inside.

I swirl my tongue around the crown again.

“Are any of them yours? I mean, I know they’re all your dick, but…”

The lust in his eyes gives way to surprise for a second, his forehead wrinkling. And then a slow grin spreads over his lips as his cock swells and shifts. The peachy color turns the same shade of gray that I saw on his skin earlier, the whole thing getting significantly larger and thicker, with swollen ridges lining his length. Heat tightens my gut, and my insides clench. I’ve always been a top. In all of my centuries of life, being on the receiving end just never appealed to me, but there’s something about Xaze’s demon dick that’s making me rethink that stance.

As if he can read my mind, he tugs on my hair again.

“I’ve been told that the way the ridges pummel the prostate can make a man see heaven,” he purrs, and I moan.

“Maybe you’ll let me find out for myself sometime.”

What am I saying? It almost sounds like I’m promising him a future that we both know we won’t have. Fuck it, I’ll chalk it up to dirty talk.

I open my mouth as wide as I can, and he roars out an inhuman sound as I descend on his cock. It’s so big I nearly need to unhinge my jaw to fit it inside, the ridges grinding against my tongue and the roof of my mouth as I take him as deep as I can manage, gagging when he hits the back of my throat. My own cock jerks and throbs at the involuntary convulsion, drool seeping from between my lips to streak down the remainder of his shaft.

His balls are big and heavy, just like his cock in this form. I bring one hand up to cup them, rolling them against my palm and gently tugging them. Xaze gasps and pants, his thighs quaking and his abs contracting, neither of us able to tear our eyes away from each other as I find a steady, hungry rhythm. He murmurs and moans my name over and over as I take his cock as deep as I can again and again.

“Give it to me like you did earlier, pet,” he rasps, losing his fight with his own willpower and thrusting into my throat. “Feed my demon the filthiest memories you have while you satisfy my flesh.”

I stutter momentarily with surprise. I was trying to punish him by thinking about past conquests earlier. He liked it?

His eyes are pleading, and beads of sweat are shining on his skin.

“Please?” he pants.

My nostrils flare and I suck him harder, keeping my eyes fixed on his as I search my memory for nights long past, remembering lovers who have come and gone, forgetting their names or faces and focusing on the lust each one drew to the surface. His chest heaves and his pupils shift to their demonic form, his moans getting louder and more frantic.

“Yes, yes, yes,” he wails.

I drag in a deep breath, relax my throat, and swallow him all the way down. His hips jolt off the couch and my balls tighten, lightning bolts of lust and need thundering through me.

Xaze thrashes and gasps, his cock pulsing between my lips as he spills thick, smoky-sweet ropes of cum down my throat. I thrust involuntarily, holding on to him tightly and swallowing down every ounce of his release as mine barrels into me with my cock untouched, throbbing and spilling inside my briefs.

I suck and lick him until his cock starts to soften and he sags back into the couch.

“You are becoming a dangerous addiction, deliciae,” he says breathlessly.

My dragon rumbles with satisfaction, but my pulse kicks up with fear.

What are we doing? And why don’t I want to stop?

A lazy smile spreads over his lips and he reaches down to tug his pants back into place. My mind is spinning and my heart is still racing as he sits up and leans in close.

“It’s been a long day, and I need my beauty rest.” He brushes a barely there kiss over my lips that burns through me like a wildfire. “Sleep well, dragon.”

The urge to tell him to come sleep in my room instead of the guest bedroom is strong, but the words stick in my throat. I swallow them down thickly and watch him slink from the room.