Page 16

SIXTEEN

damien

I kissed her forehead, watching her sleep.

She looked so peaceful, so… calm like this. With the morning light bathing her face in gold, a serene smile spread across her face. She was an angel, a goddess. A gift I didn’t deserve.

I’d never known how good it would feel—to wake up like this. To spend a night in each other’s arms. I was no stranger to sex, but last night… It felt like a first for me.

Brushing a hair out of her face, I held my breath as she stirred slightly.

“Hi,” she murmured, voice rough from sleep.

“Good morning.” I kissed her cheek, because even if I was trying to be good, it was hard to keep my hands off of her.

“What’s the plan for today?” I asked, curling an arm around my witch.

Willow stretched her arms, the sheet moving back from the motion, exposing her cute pink tits. My mouth watered.

“Mmm.” Her groggy voice groaned. “I’m hungry. Should we have breakfast?” Her body cuddled closer to me, pressing her nipples against my chest.

I held in the groan I felt from the feeling, trying to focus on the woman in front of me. On her priorities—instead of how I was already half hard, just from the feel of her body against mine. “What about the bakery? Do we need to go help Luna?”

She waved me off. “No, she’s got it. She told me to take the day off.” Willow sat up, wincing slightly as she moved. “Maybe she knew I’d be sore.”

A devilish grin spread over my face. “I think I know just the thing that will help.”

I wanted to make her feel better, since I was the reason for it. She’d taken all of me so well, and I couldn’t help how much of a satisfied male that made me.

Ripping the sheets off our bodies, I picked her up in my arms. Her still naked form made my current plan much easier. Willow’s soft curves pressed against my body, and I couldn’t help but appreciate her figure. How lucky I was that she’d picked me. Setting her on the bathroom counter, I got everything ready for her.

Moving to her giant claw-foot tub, I started the water running, adding some soothing oils and sea salt to help her muscles relax. As it filled, I went and grabbed a few candles, leaving them on various surfaces in the room. It created a beautiful ambiance, illuminating both of us in candlelight when I flicked the light off.

“Wow,” she said sleepily. “Such service.”

“Have to take care of my little witch,” I said, kissing her forehead as I held out a hand, helping her into the tub.

“Ohhh,” she moaned as she slid into the warm water, closing her eyes and tipping her head back against the rim. “If you’re going to spoil me like this, I won’t be able to let you go.”

“Willow—” I hated that she thought this thing between us was temporary. That there was any doubt in her mind about what I was feeling. But I couldn’t tell her that. It was too soon.

“Not now,” my witch whispered. “Please.”

Stripping off my boxers, I slowly slid into the water behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. I couldn’t stop touching her. I needed to, if only to calm that instinct inside of me. The one that screamed Mine. I wanted to claim her, to mark her, for the world to know exactly who she belonged to.

Later. It wasn’t time for that yet. There was still so much she didn’t know.

“Better?” I asked, massaging her thighs.

Willow hummed in agreement, leaning her head back to rest against my shoulder. She shut her eyes, looking totally at ease.

After I’d washed her hair, we stayed in the bath until the water ran cold, neither one of us wanting to break this perfect bubble.

She was right. We could talk about everything later. I just wanted to enjoy my time with her for now.

* * *

Her eyes widened as she entered the kitchen. “You weren’t kidding when you said you know how to make breakfast.”

I’d fried eggs, cooked some bacon, and even made pumpkin pancakes after leaving Willow to get ready, knowing we’d never leave her bedroom if I stayed in there.

My eyes trailed over her body in an obvious perusal. She’d pulled on a cozy white sweater and a tan overall dress, tying her hair up into a ponytail with an orange and white polka dot scrunchie.

“Hi,” I said, giving her a small smile before she slid in behind me, wrapping her arms around my torso.

“Hi,” she responded to my back. “I like you in my kitchen,” she murmured.

“Oh?” I felt smug. Me too. Mainly because I liked being here too. It was crazy how quickly I’d become comfortable in this house. How little I wanted to leave. But I owed all of that to the witch hugging me from behind.

I’d be here as long as she wanted me to. A month wouldn’t be enough time with her. I knew it now. Especially after last night. The bond I’d felt strengthening between us with each movement…

Rubbing my hand over my heart, I gave a deep, contented sigh. I’d never felt more peaceful than I did here, with her in my arms.

“Hmm?” Willow asked, but I just shook my head.

“Shall we eat?”

She grinned, grabbing my hand and leading me over to the table. “Gods yes.”

Willow sat down at one end of the table, guiding me into the seat directly next to her. Part of me liked that I was close enough to press my knee into hers, that I didn’t have to lose contact for even a moment. It made my body purr, the prolonged connection between us.

Willow quickly devoured the pumpkin pancakes, barely taking a break between bites. I finished my plate fast as well, having worked up quite an appetite from last night’s events. If we were going to keep that up, I needed to feed her properly.

“ Ohmygods ,” she moaned, her mouth full of pancake. “This is so good. Whatthehell. ” She swallowed, taking a deep drink of milk before speaking again. “Where did you learn to do this?”

I shrugged. “When you’ve lived as long as me, it’s hard not to get bored.” I propped my chin on my hands, watching her dig in. “Every decade, I picked up a new hobby to keep things interesting. I learned to play the piano. Dance. How to paint—though I’m not very good at that.” He wrinkled up his nose. “I just ended up with more paint on me than on the canvas.”

She giggled. “I’d love to have seen that.”

“Most things from the human world make their way over to ours. Your culture. The demons who are working here bring it back, and, well…” Running my hands through my hair, I stared down at my empty plate. “Cooking was enjoyable. I was good at it. Never quite got the hang of baking, though.”

Willow’s mouth was hanging open before she recovered. “That’s okay. You don’t like sweets anyway, right?”

Leaning over, I took her mouth into mine, slipping my tongue inside. She tasted like pancakes and syrup and Willow. I practically groaned at the way she exploded onto my taste buds.

She blinked as I pulled away, her eyes glazed over in a haze. “What was that for?”

I licked my lip before running my thumb over the corner of her mouth. “So sweet.” I smirked. “Maybe I do like it, after all.”

Her cheeks flushed as she took another bite.

Part of me knew I should get up and start cleaning, but I just kept watching my witch eat instead. Satisfied, I let my chest rumble as she shoveled another bite into her mouth.

“What should we do today? I’ve been wondering what else you have left on your fall must-dos list. How much education do I have left?”

Willow stared up at me, and I rubbed my chest again.

Fuck. Was it that loud? I couldn’t control it. Part of my shape-shifting abilities was being able to change forms at will, but the instincts came with the territory. The purring came whenever I felt especially content or fulfilled. I’d hardly ever experienced that level of satisfaction before this, though. Before Willow.

“Well, what do you think?”

She blinked. “Sorry, about what?”

“About our plans for the day. I was thinking we still had those pumpkins…” I grinned, pointing at the two perfect pumpkins waiting to be carved. They’d been sitting on the counter staring at me over the last few days, and I felt taunted.

Sure, I’d experienced a lot of things from human culture, but we didn’t carve pumpkins in the demon realm. And if it meant more time with Willow, I’d gladly take it.

Even if I was ignoring Zain’s summons . My mission seemed less important now, knowing who exactly sat at my side. My brother could wait a little longer.

“Oh.” Willow’s green eyes lit up with excitement. “ Yes!” She clapped her hands. “We definitely need to do that. I have to go dig out the box with the tools from the attic.”

“I’ll come with you,” I said instantly

“No, it’s okay.” She shook her head, wincing. “It’s pretty messy up there. All of my parent’s stuff, well… I’ll get it.” She kissed the side of my head as she rose from her chair.

“Okay.” I sighed, wanting to help her but not wanting to push too hard. “I’ll clean up from breakfast.”

“Perfect.” Willow gave me a smile, setting her dishes in the sink before promptly disappearing.

There was nothing that could ruin my mood today. Not with Willow by my side.

* * *

There were pumpkin guts everywhere.

On every conceivable surface.

In Willow’s hair.

“What did you do?” I asked, wiping a drip off of her cheek. “Blow the damn thing up?”

She giggled. “Luna likes to use the seeds and the insides for the bakery. I might have… overestimated my magic.” There was a sheepish grin on her face, and I couldn’t help cupping her cheeks with my hands.

I enjoyed how they engulfed her face, much like my hands did with her tits. They were the perfect size, considering I could practically cup them in my hands.

“Do you need me to clean you up again, little witch?”

She gave me a wicked smile. “Are you going to dirty me up first?”

Swallowing roughly, I willed myself not to think those thoughts. We were supposed to be carving pumpkins, not christening the kitchen table.

“Later,” I agreed, picking up the tool. “First, we’re going to carve these things.”

“Right.” Willow nodded, moving to stand behind me. “So… what are you doing?”

I shook my head. “It’s a surprise.”

Carving pumpkins was much harder than it looked, and I was pretty sure mine looked like absolute shit, but at least I’d done it. I was grateful for the opportunity to try new activities here, things that I never had the chance to do in the demon realm.

We certainly didn’t have pumpkins lying around in wait for being carved.

“Ta-da!” Willow turned around her pumpkin, showing me the opposite side. “It’s you!” She’d carved a cat out, complete with a tail and glowing eyes.

I laughed. “That’s… amazing.”

“What’d you do?” She asked, coming around to see mine.

Sheepishly, I stepped away, revealing my design. “I know it’s not very good, but…”

“A tree?” She made a face. “Why?”

“It’s… supposed to be a willow tree.” I winced.

“Oh.” Our eyes connected, and I could detect a faint blush on her cheekbones. “That’s… Damien .” She clasped her hands over her heart. “No one’s ever done anything like that for me before.”

I pulled her into my arms, placing a kiss on the top of her head. How did I tell her I felt the same way? No one had ever cared for me before like she did. No one had made me feel like she did.

It was crazy, since we’d known each other for two weeks, but I already felt closer to her than I did to anyone else in my life. My brother was the only person who came close, but we weren’t really friends. Sometimes it just felt like a business relationship between us.

“You deserve it,” I said instead. “Besides, you did the same for me.”

Her cheeks deepened in color. “Yeah. I guess I did.”

Leaning down, I took her lips in mine, a gentle peck to convey my gratitude, but it slowly deepened into more. Running my fingers through her hair, I reveled in the way the silky strands slipped through them.

“Damien,” she mumbled against my lips. “I want?—”

“I know,” I agreed, lifting her up by the hips, reveling in the feeling of her as she wrapped her legs around my back, holding on.

I carried her to the bedroom, my ever hardening erection pressed against her center.

And then I stripped her down, and we got lost in each other.

In these feelings I couldn’t quite acknowledge.

We were both insatiable, like last night had only lit a fire in us we couldn’t quell. Once wouldn’t be enough.

It would never be enough.

* * *

“I need more time.” I hated bringing myself this low, begging him for this, but I had no other choice. I needed more time with Willow. I couldn’t let her go yet.

And that was why I was here, on my knees, bringing myself to a position I’d sworn never to be for my brother.

Zain crossed his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow. “Why? What exactly are you afraid of, little brother?”

I grit my teeth. “You know exactly what I’m afraid of.”

“I need her.” He sighed. “You can’t keep me away forever.”

“Just… give me until Halloween, at least. Please. Willow needs her sister.”

“Very well.” My brother waved his hand, dismissing me. “You have until then.”

I closed my eyes, letting the shadows take me home.

To Willow.

The only place I wanted to be.