Page 19 of Prince of Demons (Demon’s Mark #2)

Kesh

M ore.

The word rang in his ears as the needy little Breeder spread her thighs wide and arched up into his touch, even as she squirmed under his hand to escape the direct stimulation.

He’d left the kitchen with more steely determination than any enthusiasm for what he’d have to do to the girl.

His tongue still pricked with the taste of her earlier climax, and his cock seemed to be in a state of permanent erection.

But the dark undertow of need the cursed little thing provoked was underlined with the increasing scent of her fear and the knowledge that if he didn’t keep his magic in check during her branding, he would kill her.

She was the first Breeder to grace his territory since his family had assumed power in the Americas, and if he accidentally killed the girl before he could finish preparing her for one of his men, there was every chance it’d cause enough uproar throughout the territory to give the Europeans the edge they’d need to win the war.

In the good old days, she’d have been given to a procurer, who’d blind and ring her before she realized what was going on, then ship her off to auction where she’d learn to take a demon’s cock soon enough.

But no. Queen Selma had declared their age-old customs barbaric, and somehow that meant it was now his job to put a brand on this woman and train her body to enjoy a demon’s anatomy, without accidentally murdering her with his too-powerful magic along the way.

“More!”

The sharpness of the command jerked Kesh out of his stupor.

He stared at the Breeder’s face for one long moment, the tight grimace on her features as she rode up against his fingers making blood pound in his temples and rush in his ears.

The meek little human who’d cowered at the foot of his dais and apologized for everything short of breathing was gone, replaced by the wanton woman who’d grabbed onto his horns and forced his mouth to her pussy, despite being so weak she could barely stand.

“Look at you,” he snarled, frustration lacing through the gravel of his voice, even as he pressed his thumb in harder against her pulsing clit, obeying her demand.

“What a pretty little whore you make. Are you wet from knowing you can’t escape?

Is that it? The big, bad monster has you pinned and there’s nothing you can do but submit that needy little pussy to every dirty thing I can do? ”

The Breeder moaned brokenly, shame coloring her cheeks, but the rush of liquid trickling from her opening showed the truth: yes, that was exactly why she was wet for him.

As a demon, Kesh was plenty familiar with humanity’s dark desires, but the knowledge that the soft-spoken, fragile little female, who reeked of fear whenever she looked at him, got off on forced submission— that he hadn’t expected.

Predictably, it went straight to his dick.

“Shit.” Electricity crackled up his spine as the scent of her need penetrated his nostrils and sank deep into his lungs, filling his very being until there was nothing left but her.

His cock throbbed painfully in the confines of his pants, and his body ached to settle on top of her, to feel her smooth skin, taste it?—

He was barely conscious of moving until Georgia’s fearful gasp brought him back from the brink.

He looked down at her, splayed on her back beneath him, eyes no longer squeezed shut but opened wide as she stared back up at him.

He had her wrists pinned above her head, and his pelvis rested heavily on top of hers, forcing his clothed but aching cock hard against her pussy and ringed clit.

Fuck, that look of terror on her pretty face did nothing to stop every dark instinct clamoring to force his way inside her body and to hell with the consequences.

But the sick thread of dread it sparked in the deepest parts of his conscience was enough to rein in his all-consuming need for her cunt.

Breathing heavily, he released her wrists and shifted some of his weight from her pelvis to his arms. “You okay?”

Georgia’s blue eyes widened even further, as if she couldn’t quite believe he’d asked. “I… y-yeah.”

How was he meant to do this? He couldn’t fucking think with the maddening scent of her arousal in his nose.

“You’re going to be the fucking death of me.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Another fucking apology. He bared his teeth at her, and instantly regretted it when the bitter taste of fear intensified on his tongue and she shrank deeper into the mattress.

Aaaand there went his gut, clenching with regret. Great. Fucking great.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he murmured, voice softened despite his urge to scream with frustration at the clashing roil of instincts warring somewhere south of his ribcage. Fucking. Breeders.

“What… what are you going to do?” Her voice was tiny and pulled on his maddening urge to coddle and coo like an overgrown mother hen. “You say you’re going to brand me… and… train me. I don’t know what that means.”

They’d made a deal. He’d spent a great deal of power on healing her useless brother in return for her cooperation.

The main reason he’d agreed was so he wouldn’t have to do this— coddle and explain and take his time when he had none to give.

But as she lay beneath him, her bewitching scent thick in his nostrils and that scared look on her pretty face—the one that pulled on everything primal and stupid in him—he realized he’d been a fool to make that bargain.

His experiences with his infuriating sister-in-law should have taught him that one breath of a Breeder’s manipulative pheromones would make him bend over backwards to ensure they had whatever they wanted.

He’d thought Georgia would be different, that the fact she wasn’t a Pure Breeder would help him keep his mind focused.

But clearly, that wasn’t how this was going to go.

With a deep— deep —sigh, Kesh pushed himself up to kneel between her splayed thighs.

One glimpse of her flushed pussy and bared clit and he made sure to yank the silk skirt down to cover her before he lost his ability to focus again.

“All Breeders are given a blinding mark—a brand. It takes away your ability to see through our human disguises. We find that it makes it easier for a woman to accept a mating and settle into her new life.”

She blinked up at him. “So I’d… see what others see when they look at you? Just a regular human?”

“Yes.”

She frowned, eyes darting to his horns for a long moment before she asked, “Um… so… why are we…?”

“Why am I getting you off?”

Georgia flushed a deep red, and he rolled his eyes. Considering she’d been begging him for more only minutes ago, embarrassment at stating the obvious was pretty fucking ridiculous. Humans.

“Your innate resistance to our magic is at its weakest during a climax. For the brand to take, you need to come. Hard.”

“Oh.” Her blue eyes flicked briefly to his mouth, and he knew exactly where her mind went—to the bathroom where he’d pushed her up against the vanity and sucked her clit to orgasm.

Heat coiled low in his abdomen in response, and when she looked up at his eyes and blushed even deeper, it took all his willpower not to push her dress back up and wrap his lips around her clit.

“So…” She hesitated for a moment, then seemingly found her courage. “Why aren’t you…?”

His face darkened. “Because, Breeder, your pussy is fucking crack, and if I lose control for even a second, my magic will enter you and you will die. Horrifically.”

“Oh.” She paled, knees curling up to close his direct access to her hallowed core, survival instincts finally kicking in.

“Yes. Oh.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “This is such a fucking nightmare.”

Slowly, she sat up, eyeing him cautiously. “And we can’t just… pretend you never met me and send me on my way…?”

His hard stare made the red flush return to her cheeks.

“Right, okay, yeah, that was probably… a bit optimistic,” she muttered. “But then what? I don’t want to die. Does this… this brand really need to happen?”

Kesh sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You tell me. Look at my face, Breeder. Can you see yourself settling into domestic bliss with a man whose mere features make you quiver with fear? Could you nurse children who look like this?”

Georgia’s eyes roamed over his face. As expected, the truth was written all over her features.

“Yeah. Didn’t think so,” he growled, inexplicably irritated with her natural fear of his appearance. “So yes, Breeder. I need to brand you.”

A short moment’s silence fell between them as Kesh tried to figure out how the hell he was supposed to get this girl branded. It was interrupted when Georgia quietly asked, “I’m supposed to birth your… children?”

He scoffed. “No, not mine. As I said, if my magic enters you, you will die. But yes, you will birth your future mate's children. You are a Breeder, after all—this is your job.”

Horror slashed across her face. “What… what will you do to… to my babies?”

Kesh stared at her. “What do you mean, ‘what will we do?’ Your mate will protect them, just as he will you. Bringing our sons to adulthood is one of our most sacred obligations.” He frowned when it dawned why she looked at him with such horror. “You thought we’d eat our own children??”

“Well, I… You’re demons. I don’t know what your drive for parental care is like,” she protested, a mix of shame and defensiveness replacing the look of horror on her pretty face.

He leaned in close, staring hard into her eyes. “It’s strong, Breeder. As is our drive to protect our mates. Bargaining your body to demons was foolish, but one thing you do not have to fear for is the safety of you or your babies. Ever.”

“Oh…”

She looked like she was about to say more, but the sound of his apartment’s front door slamming open pulled Kesh’s attention with a hard yank.