Page 15

Phenex

M y brain blanked as her hot, wet mouth swallowed me down, the sensitive ridges along my shaft scraping lightly against her teeth as she teased them with the flat of her tongue.

When my tip hit that back of her throat and she hollowed her cheeks, my knees gave out and I almost collapsed on top of her. I slammed my hands on the wall behind her, glad for the long reach of my arms since we were in the middle of the small chamber. I didn’t even care when the rock dug into my palms, a couple of sharp edges threatening to cut through my skin.

If anything, the pinch of pain heightened the sensations and brought out a long, low groan straight from my chest.

Her tongue undulated beneath my shaft as she bobbed her head, adding to the friction her lips created as they passed over me. I watched, fascinated, as she wet me with her saliva and I glistened under the dim light of the single sconce nearby.

And the slurping sounds she made… they were crude and vulgar and absolutely mind blowing. I wasn’t going to last.

Then she scraped her teeth gently against my shaft, the blunt yet strangely sharp edges posing enough danger that my heartrate skyrocketed and adrenaline pumped through my veins. It felt so good that my balls drew up ready to blow my load down her throat. Out of habit I tried to pull away, but she dug her short, blunt nails into my ass and held me inside her, ready to take it all.

I swelled inside her, my guttural yell the only warning she received before I released spurt after spurt of my seed into her greedy little mouth. It was impossible for her to swallow it all, though she tried. It leaked from the corners of her lips as she tried to hold it all in, but I was ejaculating more than I ever had before. Yet when I pulled out of her, she tickled her tongue along the underside of my shaft, eliciting tremors through my legs as my abdomen clenched, a second, smaller orgasm working its way through my muscles.

‘Oh, fuck,’ I breathed, bending low to bury my nose in her familiar green hair. I inhaled her scent as I panted through the aftermath of my orgasms, joy filling me as I recognised her scent. Floral, earthy, and undoubtedly her .

If she were anyone else, I would have panicked at the thought of them holding a piece of my magic inside of them, but it was different with Juniper. She was everything, and the very core of my being recognised her as mine. Trustworthy. Just plain worthy .

My eyes connected with hers and I studied their blue depths, noting the flecks of lighter blue dotted around her irises that were also ringed in a darker navy tone. Her pupils were blown with her desire, desire for me , and what kind of mate would I have been if I didn’t give her the same release she’d gifted me?

‘That pussy is magical, Beautiful,’ I praised her, enjoying the way she both lit up and turned an adorable shade of red that blended well with her bruised lips. It was fascinating how she changed colour, and I enjoyed it so much that I silently vowed to make it happen as often as possible.

I slid my hand from where it had begun to stroke through her hair down to her shoulder. My finger traced her collar bone, the dip at the base of her neck that I wanted to nuzzle and lick and dipped lower to test the pillowiness of the swell of her breasts. I watch with rapt attention as her breath hitched the closer I got to her nipple. Curious, I brushed over it and my cock twitched at her reaction. A small whimper escaped from her throat, and I wanted to swallow it whole. Realising I could, I bent down further to slant my lips over hers, but something blocked my decent.

I pulled back, blinking out of the haze of lust to see an iridescent shimmer reminiscent of the portal appear between us. It grew to the size of my fist, then dissipated like it had never been there in the first place.

Except something fell to the floor between our feet, proof I hadn’t been imagining things.

Juniper, closer to the ground and already on her knees, picked up a piece of paper and lifted it to show me what it contained. I understood why when I saw it was written in the Language of the Legion.

“ Connections made, rewards reaped ,” I read out loud for her benefit, then watched on with unease as the words reformed into a language I couldn’t understand. I gestured for Juniper to read it, assuming it was for her like the first one was for me.

“ The curse is the key,” she read, her nostrils flaring as she exhaled heavily through her nose. She flipped the paper, scanning it front and back to see if there were any other messages all the while muttering incoherently under her breath. She seemed spooked as she tossed it aside, flinching as its edges caught on fire and quickly burned to ash.

‘What curse?’ I asked her, confused why that would cultivate such a reaction from her.

Her head snapped up and she eyed me warily, her teeth clacking as her mouth closed, instantly cutting off her muttering. She said nothing.

Suddenly, I wondered if I’d made a mistake gifting this woman a piece of my magic. I had assumed that since she had starred in my dreams for the past few years that she was trustworthy, but the reality of our situation dawned on me. How well did I actually know her? The answer had my gut churning with apprehension. I didn’t know her. She was a stranger to me, even if I knew her scent, the way her soft skin felt as it brushed against mine, how her wetness teased my control and now how her mouth felt wrapped around my cock. I didn’t know anything real about who she was as a person.

Yet… I couldn’t fathom living my life without her in it for another moment. I clearly didn’t know her on a personal level just yet, but I would change that. Because I was hers as just as much as she was mine. Though if her secret keeping was any indication I had a long road ahead of me to convince her of that fact.

Fate had shown its hand, but it was our responsibility to listen.

With that in mind, I had a new perspective on the situation. It was egotistical of me to assume that she would trust me enough to be so open with me after only our first meeting. Sex did not equate to love and trust, even though I was already mostly there with her. Both were built over time after consistent action proved our character. I had waited years for her, had been content to love her, remain loyal to her, in my dreams. I could be patient and prove that she could trust me with whatever it was that had disturbed her so. If there was a curse involved, perhaps that was something I could help her with.

But one thing I knew was that now was not the time to reveal the consequences of our actions here. If she discovered my magic inside of her before this curse situation was dealt with, there was no saying what could happen. My magic could be twisted and corrupted by it, for all I knew. It was better for us all if she remained ignorant, because she wouldn’t be able to wield it if she didn’t even know it existed.

I hoped.

I knew a lot was riding on this decision, but I didn’t know what other action to take. All I could do was pray I was doing the right thing. For her.

I stepped closer and took it as a good sign that she didn’t move away and pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head. ‘Come on. We should find our way back to the others. Oz will be worried about you.’

The mention of her family member snapped her out of whatever it was that glued her lips and she tilted her head in curiosity. ‘How do you know him anyway?’ she asked.

I smiled down at her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder to bring her close to my side. The physical contact was a relief after years of believing she was a figment of my imagination. Here she was, fully tangible and very real, and I wanted to take full advantage of that.

‘I tried to help him and your friends stop you from stepping through the portal.’

She blinked at me in surprise. ‘You did?’

I chuckled and tapped her head. ‘You weren’t exactly present. I don’t blame you for not remembering.’

‘Right,’ she mumbled, all of a sudden taking a particular interest in her feet.

I wasn’t sure where this sudden timidity was coming from, but I wasn’t having it.

‘Look at me, Beautiful,’ I commanded, and held back the urge to preen when she immediately obeyed, her expression unmasked. ‘There is no shame in what has happened. If you haven’t noticed, we all did got sucked in the same way.’

She flushed that brilliant shade of pink, bordering on red this time as she smiled sheepishly. ‘Right. It’s not that…

‘Oh,’ I murmured, confused. ‘What was it, then?’

She shrugged, clearly uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was taking. ‘It’s just… isn’t it a little weird that you met me in person before I met you? It must have been so weird to see me so checked out, magically hypnotised or otherwise. I don’t know, it’s stupid.’

Understanding dawned and I held her a little tighter, pleased with her feelings even if I fully intended to reverse them because they meant she wanted to impress me just as much as I did her. ‘You’re self-conscious.’

She scoffed and backhanded my stomach, though I hardly felt the blow. ‘Can you blame me? All I can imagine is me walking around like a zombie with drool dripping from my chin or something. That’s hardly attractive.’

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. She was so adorable.

‘It’s not funny,’ she pouted, and I wanted to nibble on her full bottom lip when she pushed it out.

I grinned. ‘I promise, there was no drool. You simply stared straight ahead and didn’t respond to any outside stimuli. You were just as breathtakingly beautiful then as you are right now.’

Her expression morphed into a tentative smile. ‘Really? I know it’s silly, but you’re one of the sexiest guys I have ever seen and I’m… well, most people mistake me for a child which should say enough.’

My excitement over her admitting to her attraction to me so forwardly dimmed at the way she degraded herself, and I felt my brows dip low in a scowl. ‘You do not look like a child. Your curves are blatantly feminine and your sexual maturity is obvious.’

She smirked down at her breasts and gave them a quick squeeze before turning serious once again. ‘It’s not these. It’s my height. Sometimes my clothes hide my figure.’

‘I see no issue with you removing your clothes if it makes you more comfortable and confident,’ I said in all seriousness. I wasn’t one of those men who would tell my woman how to dress, and if she preferred nudity then I wasn’t going to complain.

She giggled and swatted me again. ‘Stop it. Okay, fine. I knew it was silly, but you asked.’

‘It is natural to feel insecure sometimes, and I am glad to have helped you overcome one of yours.’

Her arm snaked around my midsection, her fingers barely reaching around my other side and I enjoyed how small she was. She fit perfectly against me, and I could shroud her with my body if the need ever arose. It settled something within me that I hadn’t even realised was there.

‘You’re pretty cool, Phenex. I like you.’

My heart swelled in my chest at her words and nothing could wipe the beaming grin from my face in that moment. ‘I like you too, Beautiful.’

She pulled away with a sigh and I fought back the primal urge to tie her to me so she couldn’t escape. Obviously, I would never do that. Unless she consented, of course. I knew a thing or two about ropes, and they would look lovely wrapped snuggly around her delectably soft body.

‘We should get dressed and try to find the others. I don’t like that we were separated,’ she said, and she had a point.

‘I wonder why we were transported elsewhere,’ I mused as pulled up my pants and resecured my weapons belt. I fingered the hilts of my daggers, taking solace in their presence. I felt better knowing I had a weapon should the worst happen. I could protect Juniper better with a blade than without.

I lamented the loss of visible skin as Juniper dressed, covering her stunning body from my view with the baggy clothes she was apparently so self-conscious of. I wondered why she wore them if she didn’t like the way they looked on her. I didn’t see an issue with them personally, but it wasn’t my opinion that mattered.

She didn’t look particularly bothered by her clothing choice, however, striding confidently in a random direction. Or not so random since she disappeared into the darkness and I hurried to catch up so I wouldn’t lose sight of her. The shadows surrounded us as we walked down a tunnel I hadn’t noticed, and I was curious how she knew it was there when I didn’t, so I asked.

‘I have an Affinity for Earth. I just used my magic to scan our surroundings to determine which direction to take,’ she told me.

‘An Earth Bender?’ I asked in astonishment, suddenly realising it was her that had created the net of vines to catch those of us who had been tossed into the pit by the sentient trees. Those who wielded the elements were rare among Daemons, and I was even more impressed with my little mate. She was strong and she was capable. I was a lucky man.

‘If that’s what you want to call it, sure. What about you? I’m not really that familiar with Daemon lore, and I don’t know how much of it I’ve learned is actually true.’

I hesitated, my earlier decision springing to the forefront of my mind. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her the truth, but my reasons behind withholding that particular piece of information remained and so I deflected.

‘I am from the House of Greed,’ I told her instead.

‘What does that mean?’

‘It means different things for different Daemons, but for me it means that I… horde things. Books, mostly. Knowledge.’ I almost said ‘you’ but bit my tongue at the last moment. I didn’t want to come off too strong and scare her off. Well, I didn’t want to come off stronger than I already had. I had the feeling that her kind didn’t go around sleeping with strangers within moments of meeting very often if the reaction of Oz and their friends was anything to go by. From the little interaction I’d had with Humans so far, Juniper seemed a lot more carefree than the others. Significantly so.

She surprised me when she stopped suddenly, tilting her head as if listening for something. I did the same, straining my ears to hear what had caught her attention, but there was nothing. Then she walked over to the wall and placed her palms against it, a wistful sigh leaving her luscious lips before she kept on walking like nothing had happened.

I debated asking her what that was about, but I somehow knew I wouldn’t get an answer. My Juniper was brimming with secrets and mystery, but I was looking forward to uncovering it all.