Page 36 of Promised to the Demon King (The Demon Brides #1)

Nova curled into the warmth of Asmo's body lying next to her. Her hand stretched and glided over the plains of his chiselled chest. She dragged her manicured nails lightly over his tough skin.

His breathing shifted, becoming deeper, and a soft rumble began in his chest. He was slowly waking up; she could sense it.

Her hand slowly grated her nails down lower and lower, pausing teasingly at the base of his course tuft of masculine hair lightly cascading around his long and thick member. She liked that he kept himself clean and trimmed. The thought of taking hold of his not-so-little friend in her tiny hands had her licking her lips. She hesitates no longer, taking hold of him tentatively at first.

A moan escapes Asmodeus when she does.

"Looks like my little temptress is awake." He whispered through clenched teeth as she slowly stroked him up and down. She noted that she couldn't fully close her hand around him; his girth was impressive and intimidating at the same time.

"Am I doing this right, Assi?" she looked up from his stroking hand only to be met with his hooded stare. The King of Lust was aroused, and his expression, as pained as it was, he did not attempt to shield her from his obvious desires.

"Kiss me, my Queen." his voice was husked with arousal. She does as he instructs. Her eagerness to please him matched his determination to brand her with his unchecked passion.

"So beautiful," he whispered, breaking their scorching kiss and trailing the length of her neck and collarbone with his tongue and kisses. "So perfect and completely mine!" He wrapped his hand around hers, guiding her firmly up the length of himself. She learned as he did so.

His other hand finds her soaked folds. Hissing at the desired discovery, he reclaims her mouth, devouring her as they stroke each other with a growing determination and vigour.

Her moans were matched by his own.

"I want you, Assi." She moaned, riding his fingers deep inside of her. Her admission of desire only fed his tightly controlled beast. They wanted her just as strongly but couldn't claim her the way they'd wanted.

"Soon, my love. I promise I will soon fill you to the brim, over and over again." His hips bucked as he grew close to her, determined to stroke. "Fuck, I'm close, baby! Don't stop!" he hissed.

She tightened around his thick fingers, soaking his hand with her release. Her cries filled the room, and the way she called out his name while she did it was like music to his ears. He could think of no more pleasurable sound than his beautiful virginal Queen screaming out his name as she creams over his fingers and hand.

The sounds alone fueled his own orgasm, shooting his own release out onto her hand and his own bare stomach and chest.

"Let me grab us a cloth, my love. You can not have my seed in you until you awaken." Asmo quickly rushed off the bed and returned back with a damp cloth.

"Why? Why are you holding back still, Assi?" Nova felt slightly rejected by his continual refusal. She didn't care about him being a demon, nor did she care about the age gap. She wanted him and only him.

"My love, a decree was passed when my brothers and I were created. We are the truest forms of Demons in the Underworld realm. Because of that, mortals can not consume our seed. It is designed to control cross-breeding with the Demon Kings. This was designed to keep the balance between the plains. This is why you must be a fully awakened Hybrid. My seed can harm your mortal body. Please, do not ever think that I do not want you. I desire only you! No one else will ever turn my attention from you. I ask that you give us a few more weeks by your human standards. We are close. The more time we spend together, the more she awakens. Once she does, you will not walk for a week! I promise you that!" His eyes glazed over white, and he claimed her lips aggressively. Branding her with his claim yet again.

"On my birthday, there will be no more excuses?" She asked, unsure.

"On your birthday, you will be mine forever. You shall never leave my side again. There will be no more sleeping alone. There will be no more days apart. You will be mine and only mine," he proclaimed. Nova returned the gesture by wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him to her for a heated kiss of her own.

They lay there, wrapped in each other's arms. Their naked bodies pressed to one another. The sight of true lovers devoted to each other's touch.

"How was I created then?" Nova suddenly asked. "If I am hybrid, that would mean I was conceived by a Demon, would it not? I know my Mother is evil, but I don't think she is a Demoness. Is she?" Nova looked up to Assi for his answer.

"You are correct. You are aware that your human father, Jonathon Thompson, is close to sterile. His chances of siring a child were less than ten percent. Your Mother wished for wealth; she dragged your father into that deal, regardless of his not wishing to. She promised me her firstborn daughter as part of the deal. Again, your father was against this but ultimately agreed to try to please her. Jonathon Thompson was a good man. I am happy you had him to raise you, Nova. It is why I relinquished his soul to Heaven."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Nova pulled away, wanting to know the truth.

"If I tell you this, you must promise to not pull away from me!" Asmodeus spoke firmly. He didn't want to tell her everything until after she was claimed and in Hell.

"I agree. I trust you, Assi."

"Alright, here is how everything began, " he said, and then he told her everything from the beginning of the deal until they were lying next to each other in bed. Nova, true to her promise, did not pull away. She listened intently and took in all the information.

"Did my father know he wasn't my father?" She finally asked.

"He knew, but he loved you regardless. He never thought he'd be able to have children; you were his blessing despite it all."

"The money was from the deal my Mother made with you?"

"That is correct. The irony is that she got none of it. Your father saw through her and removed you from her negative and toxic influences, taking the wealth with him. He used it to help others, like the true and pure soul that he was. In the end, Jonathon redeemed himself, and God asked for his soul to be granted to Heaven. I agreed. I didn't want you to be hurt by the idea of him fighting within the pits of despair and darkness. He earned his way out of there long ago."

Asmodeus expected her to be angry, but instead, surprising him even more, she hugged him. "Thank you. I am glad that he is in Heaven. Thank you for that, Assi."

"I'd do anything to keep you happy, my Queen. Are you not upset with me?"

"No. I always knew I was different. I am more upset with myself at the moment than anyone else. I fought with Roz yesterday after you told me about this place, and I saw my true form. I lashed out; I hurt her. I know I did. Having Roz in my life from the start, seeing how you are with me-- I don't see either of you as evil or bad. I still need to get Roz to forgive me, but I don't know how. She isn't responding to my calls."

Asmodeus cupped Nova's cheek tenderly. "She loves you, Nova. She loves you like one of her own, so I am confident that she will return once she cools down. Roz hadn't had an easy life as a mortal; her afterlife was worse. She fought through the pits and was captured once she ascended to her Demoness form. I saved her, and she has been devoted to me ever since. She doesn't trust or let others in often; if you hurt her, it is because she cares. Give her time. I know she loves you, my Queen."

"I wish I could take back what I said, Assi."

"Words, once released into the world, can not be reclaimed. All that is left to do is face the consequences of those harsh and hurtful words and learn from them. Learn from your misplaced anger, Nova. As a Queen, you must always remember control—a lesson that is not easily learned, but I have absolute faith in you. Give her time."

"I wish I had your confidence in this. Wait--" Nova looked back up again. "Thalon? Roz and Thalon are close? He is the one who impregnated my Mother; he is my biological father?"

"He is. Thalon is one of my most trusted Lords within my Ring. He is my right-hand Demon here. Roz and Thalon are in a relationship. They've been together for nearly a century." Asmodeus was nothing but honest. He could see her connecting the dots. He loved how inquisitive and analytic she was.

"Roz is my stepmother?" Nova gasped, her fingertips lightly touching her mouth at the words spoken. Her vibrant green eyes widened at the understanding of Roz's place in her life.

"Sort of. They haven't officially claimed one another, but I understand they plan to once you are crowned and claimed as my Queen." Asmo reached out and tucked her loose curls behind her ear tenderly.

Nova looked up and met his eyes. "She is my stepmother!" The reality of their relationship sunk in fully, and she stared off blankly. "I need to fix this, Assi!" she was working herself up, which bothered him.

"Shh, it's okay. This will fix itself, have no worries. Roz adores you, and she'll come back around. I promise. To be honest, I am certain that she is actually more loyal to you as her Queen than she is to me as her King nowadays. She is your official guard and has never wavered in loyalty to you. Give it time, my love."

Gently, Asmodeus pulls Nova back into his arms. Her body wraps around him as she buries her face into the side of his neck. Her arm stretches across his board chest, her leg hooked over. The claim over him is visible.

"Thank you for finally telling me everything, Assi. Please, don't hold things from me again." She whispered and then placed a light kiss on his stubbed cheek.

"I promise. No more secrets, my love. No rest. We need rest to elect our vengeance before you return to me forever." She sleepily nods to his soothing words.

"Goodnight, Assi."

"Goodnight, my Queen. My beautiful Nova."