Page 32 of The Demon’s Delight (The Demon Princes #3)

Chapter 31

Hailon

“ H ow are you using your wings so well this close to me all of a sudden? That’s much better than before you left.” I set out our bedrolls, trying not to be awkward about putting them next to each other. “Not to mention you were able to catch yourself when you fell.”

“I’m not sure, though I’m quite pleased about it. That landing would have been awful otherwise. Hopefully soon I can fly properly with you in my arms.”

“We’ll see.”

Gliding had been kind of fun, though a bit intense at first. I couldn’t help but picture myself frantically clinging to him as he kept rising higher and higher into the sky should he get that skill back.

“I nearly forgot!” He pulled a pouch out of his pocket and produced several pieces of jewelry, each with a fancy gemstone. “I don’t have much to offer you at the moment, but if any of these strike your fancy, it’s yours.”

My heart stopped, then resumed beating at a heavy pounding. “I don’t need a ring.”

“I want you to have one, Hailon. But we can wait to choose a set, if that suits you better?”

I hadn’t considered anything of the sort, but now such a thing seemed incredibly attractive.

“My brother could enchant them for us if you like.”

A ring seemed to make everything very official, very quickly. I was not averse to the idea of marriage, but I hadn’t adequately prepared myself for that step. Seemed strange, to go straight to accepting a mate and avoiding marriage, but my mind wasn’t always logical.

“These are all lovely, but there’s plenty of time for that later.” There was one with a chip of obsidian, the stone a rough triangle shape imbedded in the metal band, that I picked out to look at closer. “Where did you get them?”

“Same place you got the rings in your pouch, Moonflower.” Bodies, then. I should have been put off by that, but I understood. If nothing else, he wasn’t wasteful. “Except that one.” He grinned. “I’ve had that one with me since just after I fell.”

I gasped and handed it back. “Why don’t you wear it? If you’ve had it that long, it must be precious to you.”

He turned it over in his palm before putting it back into his pouch with a shrug. “Never was much for rings, I guess. And that one in particular is too small for my hand. I kept it because it was unique, but it was never really for me.” He put the pouch back into his pocket and went over to the fire.

He’d managed to find a couple of small fowl in the high grass and carefully removed them from the hastily made spit they’d been roasting on.

Seir prepared our plates and presented mine to me with a proud smile. “Should be tasty enough, though I wish I had some seasonings.” He dropped down next to me, sitting cross-legged on his bedroll.

I was reminded of our first meal together in the little cabin outside of Olinbourg. The meal was much the same, though I felt completely different from that woman who had been weak, hungry, and unsure of how to get home again.

“You alright?” Seir was watching me closely, his own food going untouched until I took a bite.

“Fine. Just thinking about that first meal we shared.”

He grinned, tearing into a leg quarter from his bird. “You were so hungry. I was very impressed at your appetite.”

“Impressed?” I asked, choking a bit as I laughed at his moony expression.

“Absolutely. You are indeed a dangerous woman, Hailon. You were so beautiful taking your vengeance in that house. I’m fairly certain I fell for you the moment I saw you, but watching you take my dagger from my hand and dispatch those men?” He heaved a dreamy sigh. “Then you wanted to argue with me about helping you leave, carrying you, all of it. When you sat down at that little table in the cabin, I expected you to pick over your plate, but you dove in wholeheartedly and ate more than me.”

“I should feel embarrassed about that, probably.”

He shook his head, eyes wide and tone earnest. “No, not at all. I would have found and cooked a dozen more birds if you’d wanted them. You deserved— deserve —to eat your fill at every meal. To be satisfied in every way.” I blushed, and as though he just realized what he’d said, he smirked. “You went without even your most basic needs being met for months, after being taken, held against your will. It’s all mad, honestly, what you went through. I was just excited I could provide something to help you feel better, to start to heal.”

From most other people, his words would have felt over the top. But he was being completely genuine, and it warmed me.

“Feels like a long time ago.”

“It does.” He paused to chew. “I owe you an apology.”

“Another one?”

“Many,” he nodded enthusiastically. “I should have been keeping better track of the time. I should have prepared for being called back if I didn’t check in. I’m sorry I left you here all alone.”

“How does time move in Hell?”

“Much slower than here. I was there perhaps a couple of hours.”

“It was most of a day up here.”

“Oh! Speaking of.” He dug around in the pocket of his trousers and produced a small mirror. “Something else to teach you. I needed to use a portal to come back, and the best option took me through my brother’s collegium. I can’t wait for you to meet them.” He smiled wide.

“Your brothers?”

He stood, clearing our now empty plates. “Yes, and their wives. I have options for you, Hailon, should you want to explore your powers more. There are people who can help us figure out what it might mean that you’re a null. After you see to your aunt, of course.”

“Okay.” Excitement bubbled in my chest. I’d never really dreamt of a life beyond our little house in Ravenglen. We had our routines, Aunt Sal and I, and life was often difficult, even if we never strayed outside of them. But now… it was wonderful to have options. I could understand completely why Seir took such enjoyment out of novel experiences. I didn’t realize how small of a box I’d been living in before getting this odd chance to wander the realm with him.

“You’ll get along with my sisters-in-law perfectly. You’re all birds of a feather.”

“In what way?” I chuckled as he maneuvered my body into a fully horizontal position, wrapping his arms around me as he lay his head on my stomach.

“You are all very powerful women.” I could feel his smile. “Rylan’s wife, Calla, is a tremendous earth witch, and Vassago’s wife, Greta, is a talented alchemist. I think in some ways they are stronger than my brothers.” He turned his mouth into my shirt, gently kissing me through the fabric before winding his fingers up under the hem. “And I think my brothers enjoy that fact. I know I do.”

“You do what?”

“Love knowing you could take me out if you wanted to, Moonflower.” He shivered, and heat flooded my veins as he slowly moved his hands and mouth up my body, taking my shirt with him as he went.

“You think I could?” I asked, voice shaky as he stopped to lavish my breasts with attention, the alternating heat of his mouth and chill of the night air making me squirm.

“I know you could.” His voice had dropped to a growl and his horns had slipped out, both of which made my thighs clench together. Then he playfully bit around my nipple, and I gasped. None of this deterred him, however, on his quest to divest me of my clothes altogether. Then he stripped at my request once I was feeling overly exposed.

He bent one of my legs up, then the other, and settled his broad shoulders between them.

“What are you …?”

“Having my dessert. Everything was a bit rushed before, if you recall. I’m dying to know how you taste. Now I finally have an opportunity to find out.”

My eyes rolled back as he started to feast on me, his wicked tongue tracing along the edges before teasing inside. His hot breath and satisfied groans had me arching into his mouth, directing him to where I wanted more attention. He slung a forearm over my hips to keep me in place as he worked a pattern over my sensitive nub that had me making sounds deep in my throat. My hips moved on their own, but he just applied more pressure to keep me exactly where he wanted me. He’d bring me right to the edge like that, getting me to the point where my thighs were shaking and I was whispering curses like prayers, then stop, only to lick me from top to bottom and back again, spearing me with his tongue again and again… then starting over.

It was torture.

“Is this my punishment then?” I asked, panting.

“Do you deserve punishment, Moonflower?” he growled before plunging his fingers inside me and sucking on my clit. “What is it you’ve done?”

I reached down and grabbed his horns with my hands, relying on them to keep me grounded. Seir growled, alternating licks and sucks while pumping two fingers in and out of me.

My thighs clamped around his ears, and I unintentionally pulled on his horns, the sensation intense as I came with a roar.

“Most delicious dessert I ever had,” he mumbled, looking up at me with eyes glowing gold, his mouth shiny as he licked his lips.

He held me steady until the shaking stopped, then dipped his head again, lavishing the curve of my waist and hip with kisses and nips from those sharp teeth of his.

Seir crawled up my body enough to press his chest against my stomach, then he slid his hands under me. His warm palms dragged down my back, fingers sinking into the flesh, pulling me closer, lower as I moved down the blankets. He bit along the edges of my breast playfully, making me twitch. I didn’t get very far, however, as he had me in a tight hold, tracing firmly from my shoulders to the curve of my ass.

Seir paused, turning my body slightly to the side, balancing me on my right hip. “What…” He frowned as he rubbed a fingertip over the thousands of tiny pinpoint scars that dotted along my skin. They were hard to see unless you were right up close or intentionally felt for them.

“They don’t hurt,” I whispered, sad to have lost the passionate moment to my marks. “Not even at first. They just show up.”

“They just appear?”

“Yes. One for every time I use my healing power.”

His eyes snapped to mine, a mix of lust and concern swirling in the gold as he continued to explore the dots that were arranged in an oddly geometric pattern across my ribs. The tiny scars were positioned roughly in lines that followed my ribs, but also in noticeable sections that sometimes curved like a wave or swept up like an illustration of the wind. There was even a section near my spine that was mostly vertical. I hadn’t ever been able to puzzle out the reasoning behind the patterns, and it was only recently that they had spread from the left side to the right. I often wondered what would happen if or when I filled up every inch of skin on my body. Would I die? Would they start cramming into the empty space until I was one solid scar?

“There are so many, Moonflower. You’ve given so much.” He breathed out slowly through his nose, my marks clearly weighing on him. He scanned them again, tracing the edges with one finger. Then he smiled. “They look like wings a little. The way they’re settled just over this area.”

“You think so?”

“I do.” He gave me one of his soft smiles, the kind that stole my breath when they appeared, because they were a peek into the depth of his soul. When he drew an outline around the left side again, I felt what he meant about the shape of a wing. It wasn’t all that different from the outline of his sigil.

Seir’s hand splayed across my stomach as he gently kissed my marks, light feathery brushes, over and over again. His fingertips seemed restless, flexing against the soft flesh along my hip, digging in further as he discovered the softness there. His hand migrated south as he moved up toward my neck with his mouth, the playful nips back, his breathing heavier, intention clear.

My body began to tingle when he rolled me off my hip and onto my back, his mouth instantly finding mine and wasting no time consuming me. I shivered as his fingers stroked the skin to either side of my clit, trapping it between them.

He pulled away from my mouth, groaning deep in his throat. “Can you take me again, Moonflower?” His one hand strayed to his cock, pumping lazily as the other teased me further, one digit dipping just barely inside, leaving me desperate for more friction.

“Yes,” I breathed, knowing I was going to be sore but not caring. That was tomorrow’s problem to manage.

“Good.” He maneuvered me where he wanted me, bringing my ankles to his shoulders as he sat back on his heels. He employed both hands to lift me by the ass, positioning me carefully across his thighs.

Then he smiled as he raised himself up on his knees, and I swear my internal temperature went up thirty degrees. He pressed into me, entering slowly as he continued to lean forward until he was fully seated inside me, and my knees were up by my face. Palms on the blanket next to my head, his glowing eyes slipped closed as he released a long breath. The slow ache as my body adjusted for him once again had me whining.

“Okay, beloved?” He froze, his own chest heaving but his eyes concerned.

“Yes,” I repeated. The word came out on a moan, which was all the provocation he needed to continue.

Our first coupling had been frenzied, desperate. This time, Seir very clearly was being slow, deliberate. His tail tickled along my legs, up and down the calf on one side and then the other before wrapping around my right leg, the length of his tail twined around my limb like a snake.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I teased, but the impact was diminished greatly by the breathiness of my voice.

“Oh, trust me, I know you’re not. You’re all mine right now.” The gentle rocking pace he started had my eyes rolling back because of the angle he was at, that delicious spot near my entrance getting perfect friction. His jaw flexed and rolled as he set a torturously slow pace. I felt every inch as he moved, his cock pressing all the way in and then pulling nearly all the way out.

He lifted his torso up a little, balancing on a single hand. The other he brought to his mouth, making painfully prolonged eye contact with me as he sucked on his fingers then delved between us to circle my overly sensitive clit.

“Seir. I can’t. It’s too much, I’m going to?—”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, Moonflower.” He increased the pressure as well as the speed of his fingers, my body hovering right on the edge. “We have all the time in the world. I’m willing to see exactly how many times you can come for me.”

“Move. Please.” He’d stopped rocking his hips, but I wanted that too. I needed it. And I needed him to stop talking like that, because it was doing something to me I didn’t expect or know how to manage.

“I like you greedy, Hailon.” He stared down at me, eyes glowing bright gold, satisfied smirk on his mouth. The low tone of his voice rattled through me, the way he said my name causing a sharp increase in my arousal.

“I’m not greedy,” I managed to argue though panting breaths, but it was too late.

He chuckled through a groan as I detonated, a wild noise tearing through my throat as my body clenched around him.

Seir leaned down over me again, holding my face in his palm as I breathed my way back to reality.

“You are, little Moonflower. But I like it.” His thrusts were harder, more intentional as he whispered to me, pausing to lace my collarbone with gentle sucks. “I like when you take what you need.” His hips flexed almost brutally, and I was somehow hurtling toward another climax as he played every part of my body like its master. “Love when you tell me exactly what you want. I’d give you anything, you know. The whole world. Just ask.”

I was reduced to moans and ashes as my body incinerated itself from the inside out once more.

“Fuck.” His rhythm became disjointed, and his jaw twitched as he chased his own release. “I was going to take my time, draw things out. But I can’t resist. You feel too good.” Eyes closed and face turned to the sky, he gasped as he spilled inside me.

He carefully slid my legs from his shoulders, pinning me to the blanket and smothering me with more slow kisses before leveraging himself off.

The fire crackled as he found a cloth and wet it with some of our heated water.

“I can take care of myself; you don’t have to do that.” I sat up and tensed my legs, drawing them together when he returned, clearly intent on cleaning me up.

His head tilted to the side, and he gave me a playfully chastising look. “Open.” I relaxed my thighs. Seir cleaned me up with gentle reverence, then wandered off toward the fire again. When he returned, he brought cups of tea with him and some of the dried fruit I’d hoarded in my pack. He pulled a blanket over our legs as he settled down next to me. “I thought you’d have learned by now that I take care of what’s mine, Hailon, particularly you. Are you alright?”

“I’m lovely. You?” I wasn’t brave enough to look at him and was more than thankful for the cup of tea to bury my blushing face in.

“I could die right now, perfectly happy. Though I’d rather have an eternity of repeating that, if it’s all the same to you.” This new side of him was a pleasant surprise, at least to my hormones. It was no small relief that my chest was no longer on fire, but the way he had my heart racing was a new complication to manage.

“You’re different since you went back to Hell.” My brain still felt more than scrambled, in the best way. My eyes were heavy, too, and I knew that sleep was chasing me.

He chuffed into his own mug. “It’s not Hell’s fault, Hailon. I’ve been different since I got into you.” I choked on his words, spraying the blanket with my tea. Seir only laughed, thumping my back helpfully as I coughed. “Sorry. That’s my fault. Here, for your safety.” He took my cup and laid us down, my head pillowed on his chest and his fingers running through my hair.

I shook my head but found myself grinning. Everything was new, somehow, and this little bubble of peace with us inside was perfect.

Even if I sometimes choked on my tea.