Page 18 of My Demon Hunter (Hell Bent #2)

17

BETWEE N TWO FIRES

L ily flicked off the stove, turning when she felt a presence behind her. She smiled at the powerful form of the demon filling the room, still not quite believing he was real. His gray skin was lighter in the morning sun, the brands visible where the light hit them.

Her smile evaporated at the look on his face.

“Mist? What’s wrong?”

“You said your parents were killed by an arsonist.”

Her fingers tightened around the spatula. It was a heavy topic for morning conversation. “Yes...”

“Who can confirm this? Did anyone see the human?”

“Why are you asking me this right now? I’d rather not discuss—”

“Did they?”

“No! Well, I— I don’t know for sure.” She fidgeted with the utensil’s plastic handle. “Iris dealt with the police since she was a witness. She never let me get involved, even when I asked. I guess she wanted to protect me, I don’t know. But she told me they confirmed it was an arsonist, and that they never had enough information to find him. That’s all I know.”

It felt like his stare would burn a hole through her skull.

“Can we please eat breakfast? I don’t want to talk about this right now. I just wanted to have a nice morning with you, and—”

“It’s my fault, Lily.” He dropped into a chair, and his shoulders and wings slumped in the most hopeless posture she’d ever seen.

“What’s your fault?” She set the spatula down and approached warily.

“I should never have walked you home that night. I should never have talked to you.”

“What are you talking about? You’re scaring me.”

“Paimon knows about you, and she is hunting you now. Because of me.”

“What? Paimon, as in the King of Hell?”

“Queen.”

That was news to her. She was pretty sure every book she’d ever seen listed Paimon as a male. “Is that your...” She couldn’t say the word. The idea of him being someone’s possession made her feel sick. “What would she want with me?”

“Your parents weren’t killed by a human, Lily. It was a demon.”

Her head jerked back. “What? That’s crazy. Iris—”

“Either your sibling doesn’t know or she lied to you.”

“How do you know this?”

“Paimon visited me in a dream. She told me about the prophecy and how Valefor has been hunting you your entire lives. It was he who started the fire that killed them.”

“Valef—? Why would he be after me? And what prophecy?”

“There’s a prophecy about immortal blood-born twins with great power. There are demons who want it for themselves. Valefor is one. And now, because of me, Paimon is too. She threatened to hand you to Lucifer if she finds you.”

Okay, that sounded scary. No reason to panic yet. “There’s no way she could find me. And there’s no way I’m some prophesied immortal or whatever. You don’t have to worry.”

“Lily...” Mist sat up, pushing his hair off his face. His mouth was pressed into a hard line, and his breathing was shallow as if he was in pain. “That’s why you were able to summon me out of the cuffs and why your skin glows. It’s a manifestation of your abilities.”

She scoffed. “Trust me, I’m not a powerful witch. I haven’t practiced in nearly a decade, and I can’t even remember how to draw basic wards. When I did your seal, it took me all day, and I still nearly got myself killed.”

He flinched, probably at the reminder of how close he’d come to tearing out her throat. It wasn’t a memory she wanted to relive either.

“But you did succeed. Don’t you see? Summoning a demon is not so simple. Most would not dare attempt it. In all my life, no one has ever successfully summoned me.”

“That’s because you’re not very well known—”

“Others have tried. Not many, you are correct. But there have been others. I put in a fraction of the effort I did with you to escape them and killed them all within seconds.”

It was her turn to flinch. She knew that was what demons did to witches. She knew Mist was a demon. It didn’t make it any easier to hear about him killing people, however.

“You have more power than you believe,” he said. “But it’s irrelevant whether the prophecy is true. Paimon thinks it is, and she is hunting you. And she believes Belial is hunting you too because he wants to use your power to usurp Lucifer. She is convinced all of us are plotting against him.”

Lily stared at him with her mouth hanging open. This was too much. Belial and Paimon were after her? It was ludicrous. It was insane. It was horrifying—

Need to keep a cool head. Demons lied, and while she trusted Mist, she didn’t put it past Paimon to lie to manipulate him. What Paimon said had obviously upset him, which was probably exactly her plan.

The first thing Lily needed was to get information. “I should call my sister and ask about the fire.”

Mist climbed to his feet, and she was momentarily struck by his size. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to the way he towered over her. “You can do it from within the safety of the wards over Belial’s apartment. We will go now. It’s not safe here.”

“Belial? But I thought he was— Wait. I’m not going to hide behind wards, Mist. I’m sure everything is perfectly fine—”

“Nothing is fine!” he suddenly shouted, and she flinched. It was the first time she’d ever heard him raise his voice. “Nothing is fine, and it is my fault!”

“Mist! It’s not your fault.” She approached with her palms up. “None of this is your fault.”

He looked away. “You are in danger because of me. This is what happens when the rules are broken. This is the consequences—”

“That’s bullshit. Those are stupid rules, and stupid rules are meant to be broken.”

“No.” He pinned her with a furious look. “The rules exist for a reason. The rules are safe, and they protect—”

“They protect the people that made the rules. The people who have the most to gain by you following them. Think, Mist. Who made the rule that said you can’t come here to Earth and spend time with me?”

“Angels of the highest Sphere. The same ones who made rules that say I cannot slaughter humans at my leisure.”

She winced. “Okay, so, some rules are definitely worth following. But that doesn’t mean all of them are. And it’s smart to look objectively and decide for yourself which ones are beneficial and which aren’t. I don’t see how us being together is hurting anyone. I don’t see how it can be your fault that I’m in danger. If I’m in danger. I still think that’s—”

“It is my fault because Paimon summoned me, and I ignored her. And when I finally returned, I lied about where I’d been. I broke the rules and lied about it. And then, when I was to be punished, I escaped and broke the rules again. And now you’re in danger. But if I hadn’t left—”

“You’d be in some pit of monsters getting eaten!” She threw up her hands. “That’s ridiculous! Why would you ever subject yourself to that?”

“Because the alternative is much worse,” he growled, his tail whipping furiously. “And what does it matter if I am eaten? Who is there really to care? So Hell has one less soulless monster. It’s no great loss.”

Her mouth fell open. “How can you talk about yourself like that? That’s—” Her eyes stung. “ I would care if you were gone. I would miss you. I would—”

“You would be happier if you had never met me.”

“That’s not true.”

“You cannot convince me otherwise. Even now, the summoning marks burn.” He scraped his claws against the mark on his neck as if trying to tear it from his skin. “There’s little time remaining before I’m compelled to return. If I do not, I will lose my mind from it. If I do not respond even then, the hellfire will start. Gone forever.” His lips twisted. “I had planned to let it happen before. Now, I don’t know what to do.”

“Mist.” Her palm covered her mouth. The brand would kill him if he didn’t respond? And he had planned to let it? “How long?”

He looked away. “Days.”

“How many days?”

His gaze shifted away, and his wings flexed outward and then folded again. “Maybe one week.”

Only one week? Her heart started to pound. “Mist, that’s...”

He glanced at her and growled. “Don’t look at me with pity.”

“It’s not pity. It’s—” She struggled to find a way to describe her emotions. “Mist, I care about you. When you talk about dying or about being worthless, it hurts me. You have so much worth to me, and I— I already know what it’s like to lose people I care about, and I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

“You shouldn’t care.”

“You don’t get to decide that for me.”

“I am not free.” His voice was quieter, the snarl gone. “I never was. This was always just... temporary.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“Yes, it does. I always knew I would have to return to Hell or die. I tried to convince myself that I could escape, but in truth, I always knew my time was short.”

Her chest burned, and her throat felt tight. “So you just thought you’d bring me along for the ride and drop me when it was time to go back? Or worse, get involved with me, come into my life, and then force me to watch you die?”

He looked away. “I would leave. You wouldn’t have known.”

She hadn’t expected hearing that could hurt so badly, but it did. It hurt so much, it was hard to breathe. “So I was just something to be discarded when you were ready to throw in the towel and give up on life.”

He stared pointedly at the wall, saying nothing, but a muscle flexed in his temple.

“Well, that’s great!” she snapped. “Thanks a bloody lot. I wish you’d told me that before I went to all the trouble of falling—”

“What else can I offer you?” His head swung back around. “There is no way to remove the brands. I have no choice.”

“Have you even tried? You’re so ready to give up—”

“I’ve been trying for thousands of years!” His voice boomed around the kitchen. “If I hadn’t, I would have let myself die millennia ago! Hoping for freedom is the only thing that has given my life purpose. That and hunting.” His lip curled. “Hunting demons and damned souls and dragging them back to Hell. Watching them beg for mercy as I throw them at my mistress’s feet. Knowing they will receive none. Knowing I am responsible for their agony.”

Her breaths shook. Her heart pounded.

“They broke the rules. That is the consequence. Convincing myself of that was the only consolation I had. And now that I’ve broken the rules myself, now that I am seeing things from the other side... I cannot return to my old life. I would rather die.”

“Mist. Stop.” She went to him then, grasping his arm, beseeching him to look at her. To connect instead of getting lost in that dark place he was falling into. “We’ll find a way to get rid of the brands. We won’t stop trying.”

“There’s no time.”

That haunted, hopeless look in his eyes as he finally met her gaze gutted her. Tears sprang into hers, and her throat constricted, but she fought back the urge to cry. She had to stay strong for him.

“We’ll use whatever we have looking for a solution. We won’t waste a second. Just don’t tell me you’re giving up, okay? Please, just... I need to know you have hope.”

He studied her for a long time, and she stared right back, silently begging him to give her what she asked for.

When he spoke, it was quiet. “I will have hope for your sake. If I’m gone, there will be no one to protect you. That is worth fighting for.”

There was no way he understood his selflessness. He was just speaking his mind, and that made it so much more meaningful.

“Because I’m yours, right?” Maybe, if she could get him to go all growly and possessive like last night, he would keep his hope. If he had her, then he wouldn’t feel alone.

But truthfully, she needed to find some hope of her own. She had no clue how to get rid of demon enslavement brands. She hadn’t even known such a thing existed.

“So I’m not yours?” she said when he didn’t respond. If he wasn’t jumping at the chance to growl, “Mine,” at her again, then her work wasn’t done yet.

Still, he said nothing.

“Is it because you’re leaving?” She refused to mention death because that simply wasn’t an option. “I’m not yours because this is just temporary?”

His eyes narrowed to angry yellow slits.

Okay, so maybe she was pushing him a little, but she couldn’t help it. She needed a reaction.

“So if I’m not yours, and you’re leaving, I guess that means I’m free to find another demon to cl— Eep!”

One second she was provoking him, and the next, he had scooped her up and slammed her back against the wall.

“Mine!” he snarled. “You’re mine, and if you try to escape, I will hunt you, and I will kill anyone who touches you.”

His mouth descended on hers with merciless determination, and she melted. His possessive words set her blood on fire. Iris would have lost her mind if a man said something like that to her, but Lily... she wanted to be claimed by him. She wanted to surrender. She wanted to be his.

His long tongue slid into her mouth. Moaning, her hips rolled, seeking his, her core suddenly so empty it ached.

Last night, she’d felt it was too soon to go all the way, but suddenly, there wasn’t time to wait. The future was uncertain. Everything seemed so fragile. At any moment their perfect peace could shatter, and everything would fall apart. She wasn’t wasting a second.

She reached around, fumbling with the laces on his pants. “Mist...” She could feel his thick erection through the fabric, and it was distracting, to say the least. “Want you.”

He growled, balancing her weight with one arm— one arm! —and sliding her nightie up with the other. She hadn’t bothered to put on underwear, and thank god for that.

She got the waistband of his pants loose and yanked them down. As she stroked him, he moaned against her lips, and a wave of arousal flooded between her thighs at the sound.

She squirmed impatiently as he carefully maneuvered her nightie up. “Just rip it.” Since telling him she’d sewed it, he was treating it like glass. She’d changed her mind about preserving it, however. Being naked was her new top priority.

“Rip it off with your claws.” Did she pant a little when she said that? She couldn’t help it. It had been sexy when he’d done that to her underwear.

He didn’t, sadly. He set her on her feet, and she protested loudly. He ignored her groaning, pulling the nightie over her head. She lifted her arms to aid him, still grumbling, until suddenly she was naked and back in his arms. Her complaints died quickly when he kissed her again and she felt his hard shaft sliding against her drenched core. But he didn’t penetrate her.

She wiggled, trying to get in the right position to take him inside. Somewhere in her mind, she remembered they didn’t need to worry about protection since demons couldn’t procreate or carry infections—a good thing, because she didn’t think she could stop for anything.

Screw foreplay. Need him now. She couldn’t wait another second. “Want you inside.”

“Lily...” It was a pained growl, and she wasn’t sure what he was waiting for.

“Want you— Yes!” They aligned, and he pushed inside the tiniest bit.

Her moan of satisfaction quickly turned to a gasp of pain.

He froze. She froze.

Okay, so maybe not “screw foreplay” because that hurt .

No! She couldn’t wait. “More, more, it’s fine—” But she gasped again when he tried to thrust.

Damn, he was big. Really big. She loved that. She loved everything about him. She’d loved the obscene stretch of her lips trying to take him into her mouth last night, and now...

And now she couldn’t have sex with him because he was too big.

He growled with frustration, and she agreed. No, they could do this. She just had to relax. Human women could birth babies, and okay, yes, that wasn’t exactly pleasurable, but she refused to believe she couldn’t have enjoyable sex with him. They just needed to go slow.

Damn it, why hadn’t she bought that giant gray dildo and been training with it every day of her life? She’d always had a secret thing for size, but she’d never been with a guy even close to as big as him, and she’d never explored her fantasies either. They’d just lived hidden away in her head like shameful secrets. Her vibrator time was more of a taking-care-of-business inconvenience than anything innovative.

His knees seemed to give out, and they slid slowly down the wall. Then he pulled out suddenly, and she wanted to cry at the loss. Yes, it hurt, but she wanted it so badly.

He picked her up and laid her on the floor. The tile was cold at her back, but it was a nice contrast from the summer humidity and the heat that always radiated from his skin. Before she could beg him not to stop, his mouth was between her thighs, his long tongue dipping inside of her, spreading her wetness around.

Moaning, her eyes fell shut as he licked up to her clit, spiraling around it. Her core clenched with emptiness, and the desire to be filled was so strong, it pushed her faster toward orgasm. The emptiness made her inner muscles ripple with need, and she pictured his thick cock sinking into her as he continued to lick her. The image, the sensation... she tumbled into climax, heightened by the growls vibrating down his long tongue.

When she couldn’t take any more, he crawled back up her body, and she gripped his shoulders with anticipation. Now he would be able to sink inside her easily. She was so wet for him, it was almost embarrassing.

She wrapped her hips around his and tried to pull him into her. The head of his cock aligned, and she nearly passed out from anticipation. This was it, this was—

She gasped at the pain as he pushed inside only slightly further than before. Her heart lurched as she looked into his eyes. Every muscle in his body radiated tension, like he was using every drop of control to keep from thrusting into her.

Gotta work up to it. It’s fine. We can do this. She reached down and rubbed her clit furiously, trying to loosen up and get back to the frame of mine where she was so horny, she didn’t care about pain. Beside her head, Mist’s claws dug into the tile so hard, she was pretty sure he was leaving scratches in the ceramic.

His tail snaked out and wrapped around her wrist, pulling her hand away. He slid the tip down to tease her clit. Oh, that tail. It was her new best friend. Her head tipped back as a wave of pleasure washed over her.

“Should I take human form?” He bent to lick at her neck.

“Mmm, no.” Already, tingles were spreading through her body, relaxing her muscles, and the stretch of him inside her was starting to feel erotic instead of terrifying. “Want to be with you... like this.”

“But we don’t fit.”

“Yes, we do.” Her eyes opened, and she met his gaze when he lifted his head. Reaching up, she smoothed a palm over his cheek and into his hair, her fingers getting caught in the tangles. “I’m yours and you’re mine, and we’re made for each other.”

Yellow eyes darkened to a warm amber. “Mine.” His tail tip slapped her clit lightly, and she gasped.

“Oh, yes. It’s so good when you do that.”

He pushed in a tiny bit more, and this time, she moaned with pleasure. The stretch... yes . It was scary being impaled with such a huge thing, but god, it felt good.

He continued working her clit, and there was something so sexy about seeing his hands braced beside her head, the muscles in his arms flexing, and knowing it wasn’t his fingers teasing her.

She relaxed further and her legs fell wider open, and when he thrust again, she felt nothing but pleasure. Intense, all-consuming pleasure that bordered on overwhelming... but pleasure.

With his next thrust, he finally filled her completely. She felt everything . She swore she felt every vein and the rounded shape of the head. There was pain too, but the singing nerves in her clit only made it feel good. Better than good. Amazing. Mind-blowing. Life-changing.

“Yes! Oh my god—”

He pulled out with a slow slide and pushed back in again. As deep as he could go. Her muscles screamed and resisted him still, but everything felt euphoric, and she didn’t give a damn. He dropped his head next to her ear, and all she could hear was his rumbling growls.

“Lily...” His body shook with tension.

She clutched his shoulders. “That feels so good. I love you inside me.”

“Not... hurt?”

“No.” Yes. But she liked it now. Who cared if she couldn’t walk later? Walking was overrated. “Feels amazing.”

One big hand slid down her side, gripping all her fat bits. “So small. So perfect. So mine.”

Two could play at that game. She dragged her palms down his pecs. “Mine.”

Their eyes met with his next deep thrust, but hers closed immediately at the wave of sensation.

“Open. Look at me.”

She did, though all her habits told her not to expose herself. But she fought them for him. His tail continued to stimulate her, and she could feel the pressure building again. Just thinking about what was happening—her demon was taking her with his big demon cock on her kitchen floor—was enough to make her come. But with him doing that, feeling him move inside, stretching her so wide...

Her orgasm came like a gentle wave that built into a tsunami. The tremors started in her thighs and spread over her body. Her moans turned into cries and then screams. Her efforts to look at him dissolved as she threw her head back, squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to survive her brain exploding.

She felt him swell inside her as his climax built, and she nearly died from that too. His thrusts became harder, faster, deeper, and oh god , it was too much, too much, way too much—

His body locked up, and he buried his face in her neck, fixing his teeth against her and biting down. She felt them break the skin again. She felt him coming inside her, felt him shoot hot jets against her inner walls, and she swore it would have made her orgasm again if she wasn’t still riding the waves of the last one.

She wrapped her arms around him and just held on as he rode it out. His wings were spread as wide as they could go in her tiny kitchen, and he was gripping her hips so tightly, his claws would leave marks. Not that she cared.

The only thing she cared about was him. Especially when his head finally lifted, and he looked into her eyes.

There was no shadow in his gaze, no layer to peel back, no barrier to hide behind. When he looked at her, she saw his soul. Screw whoever said demons were soulless because she could see his plain as day.

“Mist...”

He lifted a hand, and his foreclaw teased the hair off her face. “Lily.”

Then, his gaze caught on where he’d bitten her neck, and horror suffused his features. “I hurt you.”

She touched the area. It stung a little now that the adrenaline was fading, and when she lifted her hand, she saw a tiny smear of blood. “It’s okay.”

He looked devastated. “I wanted to mark you. I wanted to— Why would I want that?”

“It’s okay, Mist.” She sucked the blood off her finger and then cupped his cheek. “I don’t mind a little love bite now and again. I liked it. You didn’t bite that deep.”

“But I could have. And—”

“But you wouldn’t. I trust you not to.”

He stilled. “You trust me?”

“Mhm.”

“But...” He looked almost afraid. “What if I’m not worthy?”

“You are worthy. Otherwise I wouldn’t trust you.”

He frowned as if trying to wrap his head around the concept. Finally, his features settled into a look of fierce determination. “I will be. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Okay, then. Good.” She lifted her hands and threaded them into all that thick black hair. It was coarse and full of tangles. Wild and raw, just like him. His eyes closed as she dug her fingertips into his scalp, so she massaged gently to relax him. He nuzzled her neck, licking at the bite mark.

A minute later, he gathered her in his arms, rolled, and sat up, wrapping his wings around them. Leaning against the fridge with knees bent, he curled Lily into a cozy ball in his lap.

She had never been so happy. She had never felt so treasured and precious. She had never fallen in love so deep or fast.

In fact, she was pretty sure she had never been in love at all... until now.