Page 55 of The Devil After Dark

fifty-four

LIANA

I was warm and comfortable. Blinking my eyes, I tried to figure out where I was.

Based on the pink and orange light filtering through the curtains it was either sunset or sunrise.

“Hey, baby, how are you feeling?” It was Cassio.

I rolled to my back as I felt the bed dip and there he was.

His dark hair was messy from sleep or running his hands through it. His ice blue eyes scanned my face.

“Cassio, I …” Tears welled up in my eyes as everything that had happened came rushing back to my memory. “I’m going to be sick,” I gasped and hurled myself to the edge of the bed as I retched onto the floor.

Cassio’s penthouse. That is where I was.

I had never been here. Cassio always came to me, but now I stood in the expansive room that was his kitchen, dining, and living room, looking out through a glass wall over his balcony at the city lights.

You could see both rivers from here and the lights that lit up the hill in the old part of the city below the Moon Goddess Temple.

Gods this view was beautiful. Sure I loved open spaces—that is why I had chosen to live in one of the small towns outside the city—but this view was breathtaking.

I heard the rumble of Jason and Cassio’s voices as they talked in the office off the entryway.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could hear that Cassio had come back.

It had been almost a week since the Claiming and I stayed in Cassio’s penthouse the entire time.

I don’t think he would let me leave if I begged him.

I hadn’t even tried to ask. The few times Cassio left, either Jason or, more often, Zac, would arrive and stay here while he was gone.

I heard the front door close and then footsteps crossing the great room behind me.

A moment later my eyes focused on the reflection of Cassio in the glass.

He had paused, probably waiting to see if I had heard him, and his eyes caught mine in the reflection.

Then he slid up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing a kiss to my head and leaving his lips against my hair.

“I have something to take care of tomorrow night,” Cassio said quietly. “It might be a late night, but Zac is going to come stay here while Jason and I are gone.” There was something heavy about what he was telling me.

“Okay,” I responded in a whisper. “I am assuming you won’t tell me where you are going or what you are doing.”

Cassio kissed my head again. “I will tell you if you would like to know,” he finally said.

I turned and pulled back from him, my brow scrunching in confusion. He had never offered any information, even when I asked. “I would like to know,” I responded cautiously.

“There is a meeting with the council for the magic wielders. It will be in an exclusive and private section of The Devil After Dark. We have a specific area used for council meetings when they are held in this province,” he said.

Then his hand raised and his thumb brushed along my jawline as he cradled my head.

“They have questions about what happened at the Claiming and Jason and I will be answering them.”

I had not had the courage to ask what happened yet—how he had rescued me.

When I was in Cassio’s arms at night, I didn’t have nightmares, but if I fell asleep without him, all I saw were the dead faces of the men who had paid to try their hand at claiming me.

“What did happen at the Claiming? How were you able to save me? Merrick … he said you wouldn’t be able to find the location,” the words were thick as they exited my mouth.

I needed to know the answer, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

“We found someone who knew someone who was there. Roger and Thea helped.” My eyes bulged at the information that Roger knew.

“We were close, really close, but I am not sure we would have made it in time if Silas Sinclair hadn’t reached out.

” My heart cracked a little. Silas had gone for help.

A little relief rushed through me. We might have considered him a sketchy client, but he had actually helped me.

“We killed every single person there and then burned the place to the ground.” I blinked.

Then I blinked again. Slowly I turned my head back towards the city lights.

Every single person. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, Angel.

And anyone who tries will die just like they all did. ”

I leaned back against Cassio, sinking into his warmth.

Cassio had killed everyone to save me and he would do it again if he had to.

“Thank you,” I whispered. I wasn’t sure if I was thanking him for telling me, for rescuing me, or for killing every awful person who supported an event like that. Maybe I was thanking him for all of it.

CASSIO

Liana hadn’t opened up to me since I saved her from the Claiming.

She had been distant and quiet and there was an almost ever present blank look in her eyes.

I had simply done what I could to take care of her and keep her comfortable in my penthouse.

She hadn’t asked to leave—not that I would have let her—and each night she nestled into my arms and fell asleep against me.

I loved that part, but I did not love that she was distant.

When she asked me about where we would be going tomorrow night, I finally felt like I needed to tell her.

I needed Liana. I needed her in my life and I needed to find a way to open her up.

Giving her answers suddenly felt like the right place to start.

Then she asked about the night we rescued her.

I wasn’t going to hide that from her either.

She had a right to know and it had been almost a week.

I needed to stop coddling her and allow her to start healing.

If that meant she wanted to know what happened, then I would tell her and deal with the fallout if there was any.

When we went to bed, I had been expecting just another night of her curling up in my arms and falling asleep.

Instead, Liana curled into me and raised her face to mine.

I watched her, with my heart thundering in my chest, as she slowly leaned in and kissed me.

Her warm soft lips sent blood rushing through my body and straight to my dick.

I held back, clenching my jaw. She didn’t need me forcing myself on her after what she had been through.

I was trying as hard as I possibly could to contain myself and so far, I had been doing a very good job.

But then she kissed me again and her hand ran along the side of my body as her fingers splayed on my skin. My skin lit on fire under her touch.

Not being able to help myself I slid my hand along her jaw and into her hair, looking into her eyes in the dim light.

She looked at me like she wanted me and I leaned in to kiss her again.

Her lips parted for me and I let my tongue gently sweep into her mouth.

Her tongue met mine and a little noise escaped her throat as I pulled her head back gently.

She completely opened for me and she hauled her body flush against mine.

She wanted this. Excitement lept in my chest as I realized she wanted me to be physical with her tonight.

I tamped down that excitement immediately.

I needed to be gentle with her. She still had not told me what had happened with Merrick and I was terrified to find out.

I let my hand drop to her hip and slid my hands along her smooth skin and over her ass before hoisting her leg over me.

Then I rolled so she was mostly on her back, my hand slipping between her legs as my other hand pushed her chin up so I could run my lips along her neck.

Gods she was so responsive to my touch. Her body bent, arching towards mine in desire as little moans exited her mouth.

I slid my fingers to her pussy and rubbed over her.

Every fucking inch of her was perfect. I swear I could get off by just touching the back of her ankles.

But my hand between her legs and feeling her warmth and the wetness she already had for me made my dick harden further.

I wanted to ravish her. I wanted to coax an ungodly amount of climaxes from her body and, when she was on the edge of ruin, finally fuck her until I filled her with my cum.

That would have to wait for another night.

I wasn’t so fucked up that I would give in to my own needs over hers.

Instead I slid my finger inside of her and basked in the breathy groan of pleasure that met my ears.

She was so warm and so wet and I wanted to be inside of her.

I added another finger and her hips rocked against my hand as my mouth descended on hers and greedily tasted her.

I had her panting and moaning and writhing against my hand as I fingered her slow and deep.

Curling my fingers made her muscles clamp down around me.

“That’s it, baby,” I whispered against her lips and she gasped again and again as her release washed through her.

Positioning myself between her legs I slid my fingers out of her and pressed my tip against her entrance.

She rocked her hips greedily against me and I couldn’t hold back as I pressed into her warmth.

Liana clung to me as I slowly thrust into her.

The weight of almost losing her hit me all at once.

I held on to her, tunneling my fingers through her hair and hooking my other hand under her body and over her shoulder so I could hold her as I thrust slow and deep.

Our kisses were interrupted by Liana’s moans and whimpers and gasps.

I wanted to praise her—to tell her how beautiful she was and how good it felt to be inside of her, but I was fucking her so desperately I couldn’t speak. Only groans and grunts left my mouth.

She gasped my name and it sent me over the edge.

Pounding into her harder, her inner muscles squeezed and pulsed and she gasped my name again.

I spilled into her again and again, squeezing my eyes closed as my release tore through me.

Panting and sweating, my soul returned to my body and I pressed my lips against hers. I never wanted to lose her.