The only thing he’d had to give her was a truth he’d withheld – a truth that had the potential to kill whatever she felt for him, considering he literally was everyone’s worst nightmare. But he’d taken the risk, because it was all he had to give her.
He’d expected her shock and fear, had expected her to struggle to accept the dark reality of what her mate was – who wouldn’t struggle with it? So none of those things had come as a surprise to him. But he really hadn’t known what to expect after that, because he could never predict Harper’s responses.
Some possibilities had entered his head: Maybe she’d try to flee. Maybe she’d ask for time alone to think. Or maybe she’d be too terrified to speak.
What he wouldn’t in a million years have suspected was that she’d give him attitude. When he’d pushed her, she’d called him on his bullshit. She’d refused to let him intimidate her, just as she always did. And when he wouldn’t believe that the truth genuinely didn’t make any difference to how she felt, she’d cursed at him. His inner demon had chuckled.
There was no one like her. She was totally unique. Delightfully complex. And now he had to have her.
He took her right there on the floor, where there was no give and he could bury himself as deep inside her delectable body as it was possible to be. It was fast and hard, and she came screaming his name while he pumped every bit of his come in her.
They migrated to the bed. As he lay on his back with her draped over him, he smoothed her hair between his fingers. “I’m almost disappointed that you didn’t try to flee. It would have been fun having you as my captive. Helpless. Vulnerable. All at my mercy.”
She propped her chin up on his chest. “Such a kinky bastard. Is it an archdemon thing?”
He smiled. “Not that I know of.” He sobered as he said, “You know you can’t tell anyone, Harper, don’t you? Not even Jolene, not even your friends.”
“I know. If your secret got out, our kind would probably unite to go up against you.”
“Most likely.” It wouldn’t do them any good – he could destroy them all with minimal effort. But he had no desire to wipe out the demon population.
“I’m curious. If archdemons are born from the flames, does that mean you don’t have genetic parents?”
“Yes. My kind live in hordes. The adults all share in the care of the children.”
“So when your horde moved to Earth, they took you with them?”
“Yes. The horde separated – some traveled, some joined lairs,” he explained, watching as her eyes swirled from apricot to a smoky gray. “I stayed with a mated couple who joined a lair.”
“You were effectively their child.”
“They warned me not to tell what we were. To hide what I could do. Back then, I was nowhere near as powerful as I am now. An archdemon’s power grows with age.” It never stopped growing; that was part of what made them so dangerous.
“Lucifer knows what you are, doesn’t he?”
“Yes.”
She frowned. “I thought he agreed to keep your kind in hell.”
“He did agree to it, and he does keep my kind in hell. But he didn’t agree to round up the archdemons that already lived on Earth and return them to hell.”
Now that she’d met Lucifer, she could imagine just how smug he was about the loophole he’d found. “I understand now why you hide how truly powerful you are and keep everyone guessing about what you can do. You don’t want anyone to suspect the truth.”
“I’m trusting you to keep it to yourself, Harper. I know women like to talk and share with their friends, and I know you’re close to yours. They’ll no doubt ask you what I am. I understand you’ll find it uncomfortable to have secrets between you and them, but you can’t tell them. They can’t know.”
“I admit, I don’t like keeping things from them – especially big things. But your safety is more important than that. You come first.” And even though she didn’t believe her friends would fear him so much that they’d betray him by revealing his secret, it would put them in danger to have information like that. Noticing Knox’s odd expression, she asked, “What?”
He didn’t have words for her. Nobody had ever put him first before. Nobody. He couldn’t explain the tumultuous emotions running through him. Among them were relief, incredulity, contentment, and adoration. So he told her how he was feeling the only way he knew how. He rolled her onto her back, slid down her body, and ate her until she came so hard she almost lost consciousness.
“Why can’t you just tell me where we’re going?”
“I explained it was a surprise. I didn’t realize that required any elaboration for you to understand.” Knox had to smile as Harper practically bounced in her seat on the jet, glowering at him. No one else would dare scowl at him that way, and no one else could possibly entertain him as they did so. His demon loved seeing her riled. “Enjoy the anticipation.”
“I’m too impatient by nature to experience positive feelings of anticipation.” The teasing glint in his eyes was pissing Harper off. He didn’t want her to feel excited. He wanted her to feel agitated by the wait. “Just tell me.”
He took a swig of his gin and tonic. “No.”
“Mean.”
“Of course.”
“It’s my birthday; you’re supposed to let me have my way.” She’d woken just as he thrust deep in her…then he’d wished her a happy birthday before riding her so hard that her scream got trapped in her throat.
He arched a brow. “Is that so? I’m distraught to say I can’t give you that.”
She huffed. “Really, you could have just pyroported us to wherever it is we’re going. You’ve taken me on this long-ass flight just to drag it all out and drive me insane.”
Of course he had. “We are going to pyroport to where we’re going.”
“Are we going to hell?”
“I don’t think I’ve heard those words uttered with excitement before.”
“I just like to do things I haven’t done before.”
“I know.”
The wicked curve to his mouth both aroused and worried Harper. “Put me out of my misery and either tell me what the big mystery is or take me wherever we’re going.”
“All right, I’ll take pity on you.” He stood upright and pulled her to him. Tanner, Levi – we’re leaving now. We shouldn’t be any longer than an hour. Both sentinels were in the other cabin.
As he curled his arms tight around Harper, he kissed her softly. She stilled as the heat of fire enveloped them, burning her without hurting her. Then the flames died, and they were suddenly standing alone on a large stretch of land. And…“That’s a volcano.” Definitely not what she’d expected to see.
“It is.” Taking her hand, he walked her towards it.
“I’ve never seen one this close.” It was a scary yet beautiful sight. And seriously big.
“We’ll be getting closer. Much, much closer.”
She tensed, coming to an abrupt halt. “I don’t like the way you said that.”
“Ever bungee jumped before?”
Her heart slammed against her ribs. “Say what?”
“I’ll take that as a ‘no.’” Knox smiled. “Don’t worry; you’ll enjoy it.”
She gaped. “Wait, you want to bungee jump…into that?” Was he insane? Apparently so. It could be an archdemon-thing. She should probably look into that.
“We are going to jump into it. Not into the magma chamber. We’ll stop several feet above.”
He said it casually…like it was just a bus ride as opposed to a death-defying experience. “How? There’s no equipment or—” She cut off as wings suddenly snapped out of his back, fanning out behind him. “Oh. My. God.” The feathers were gold, red, and black…and on fire. Touching one of the wings, she realized they weren’t quite substantial; it was more like they were constructed of magma energy or something. Jealously crept in as she suddenly felt the absence of her own wings very acutely. The guy never ceased to amaze her. “D
o all archdemons have wings?”
Nodding, he flapped his wings once. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Whoa there, Thorne…You’re going to fly us over there?”
“Yes. Then, while I’m holding tight to you, we’re going to drop.”
“Seriously?”
“You’re excited, admit it.”
Okay, yeah, an element of excitement was trickling through her. It was a terrifying idea, but it was also thrilling – she was a demon, her kind thrived on adrenalin rushes. But Harper also thrived on being alive. “Whole cities have been destroyed by eruptions of lava, gas, and ash from volcanoes. And you want to jump into one? Have you done it before?”
“A few times. Come on, you’ll enjoy it. This one only erupts at night,” he reassured her. “And it’s not like the lava or the heat coming from it can burn you.” Their skin was impervious to both. “Come here. Trust me.”
“I do.” So she stepped into his arms, both of which came around her. Then they shot into the air like a bullet. He was scaring her on purpose. “You’re an asshole!” He just chuckled. She kept her eyes closed as, still holding her tight, he flew in a horizontal position. It wasn’t long before he came to a halt, still in the air. Forcing open her eyes, she saw that they were soaring above an ash cloud.
“We’re going to drop down the throat of the volcano,” he told her.
He slowly lowered them to hover just under the cloud, and the breath left her lungs at the sight below her. Fuck. She fisted her hands tight in Knox’s shirt, locking her legs around him.
“Look.”
Oh, she was looking. She wasn’t liking. There was really nothing quite like hovering above an active volcano. As if the view of the descent into the crater wasn’t bad enough, there was the bubbling pool of red-hot, molten lava.
“You ready?”
Not really. Her heart was in her mouth, and she was pretty sure it belonged in her chest. Steeling herself, she took a long breath.
“I won’t let you fall, you know that.” He spoke into her ear. “The first time, we’ll jump feet first.”
“The first time?” Shit, what was she doing up here? Why was she putting her life in the hands of a clearly insane archdemon? Her heart was pumping rapidly, her teeth were rattling, and her hands were shaking.
“You don’t have to look down. You can just look straight ahead.”
“Get on with it. The more I think about it, the more aggravated I’m getting.” Her demon was totally up for this; it didn’t find fear an unpleasant sensation, so it wasn’t at all ruffled.
“After three.”
Why was he doing this to her?
“Three.”
Would her friends miss her at all?
“Two.”
No, she wouldn’t fret anymore. She’d meet her death with dignity.
“One.”
His wings snapped around her and they dropped. It was like time just stopped. There was absolute nothingness for one single moment. And then they were falling.
Falling.
Falling.
The wind whipped up her hair, and her stomach rolled like it did on a rollercoaster ride. Oh shit, that red-hot lava was coming at them fast. “Knox, stop!” But he didn’t. “Knox, stop!” They just kept falling and falling and—
Abruptly, his long, smooth drop halted just a few feet above the bubbling lava. “You fucking bastard!” But she was laughing. As they shot back above the ash cloud, she knew she had a wide, stupid-ass grin on her face. She had to admit the drop had been kind of exhilarating. Her hands were still shaking from the adrenalin.
His wings kept them floating. “I told you that you’d enjoy it.”
“Okay, it was a little fun.”
“If you liked that, you’ll love this.”
And then he was tipping them. “Oh no, not upside down,” she groused, gripping him even tighter. “Why do you hate me?” The view was even worse this time. Another shot of adrenalin pumped through her, making her demon almost high as a kite.
“On the count of three.” He tightened his arms around her. “Three. Two. One.”
And then they were falling again. Plummeting head-first into the crater. She would have screamed, but the sound just wouldn’t come out. And here was her good friend, lava, again. “Stop! Stop! Stop!” But of course, he didn’t. Because he was evil. She was totally seeing that now. “Knox!”
He stopped.
The lava was way too close for comfort, and she was staring right into it. “Sooner or later, you’ve gotta sleep. Then I’ll kill you.” His laugh did not improve her mood at all.
Rocketing them once again above the ash cloud, he said, “You enjoyed that.” She huffed, but he could see the excitement in her ocean blue eyes. “Again? There are lots of ways to do a drop like this. I won’t let go of you…unless you want me to.”
“No, don’t let go.”
“I won’t.”
“You said you wouldn’t let go.”
Knox did his best to stifle a smile. She’d been glaring at him since they returned to the jet. And now she was opposite him, shaking with fury. Yet, she still made him think of a hissing, spitting kitten. He thought it best not to say that aloud. “I caught you,” he reminded her.
“That’s not the point.”
“Falling’s not the same when someone else has hold of you. I wanted you to experience what it’s like to just fall.” He shrugged one shoulder. “And you did say you’d like to know how it felt to fly.”
“I hate you.”
He chuckled. “No, you don’t. Come here, I’ll apologize.”
She snorted. “No, you won’t. You’ll feel me up.”
“That too,” he admitted with a smile. “Come here.”
The dominant, authoritative rumble made her stomach clench; she knew that tone too well. “You know what? I don’t think I will.” She jolted as an ice-cold finger flicked her clit. “Don’t.”
“Then come here.” His mouth curved as her eyes narrowed defiantly. “If that’s the way you want it.”
Her mouth opened in a silent gasp as the psychic finger slid through her folds – so cold, yet it produced so much heat. It stroked her again. Over. And over. And over. Occasionally, it stopped to swirl around her clit, making her pussy spasm. Holding tight to the armrests as if they could anchor her, she locked her muscles in place, resisting the urge to squirm. But it was so hard when her flesh was burning and prickling, desperate for more. “Stop.”
“You know what to do if you want it to stop, baby.” She couldn’t have any idea how fucking hot it was to watch her eyes glaze over and her cheeks flush with need. Her breathing turned shallow and uneven as a climax slowly began to build. So hard it hurt, Knox undid his fly. His cock sprang out, heavy and pulsing. He fisted himself. “Do you want it, Harper?” He pumped once. “You look like you do.” Her slumberous gaze was fixed hungrily on his cock. “Come here, and you can have it.”
A moan slid out of Harper as the icy finger drove inside her. She couldn’t help arching into the slow thrusts, so wet and on fire. Her thighs trembled as the friction built, threatening to tumble her into an—
The finger dissolved, leaving her pussy throbbing. She felt red-hot inside, and so unbelievably empty it hurt. She barely held back a sob.
“Only I can give you what you need, Harper.” He’d put the ache there, and only he could take it away. “Come to me.”
Harper might have cursed the dominant fucker, but that would only make him torture her a little more. There was only so much defiance he would allow, and she’d learned just how far she could push.
As she rose and moved to stand between his thighs, Knox praised, “Good girl.” Snapping open her fly, he shoved down her jeans and panties. Once she’d kicked them and her shoes aside, he gripped her hips and lifted her, positioning her right where he wanted her. “The brand on your pussy is one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen. Be still.” He lashed her clit with his tongue.
Her fingers knott
ed in his hair. “Knox.” His tongue eased the burning as it slipped between her folds, licking and lapping, but it also began to build the friction once again. As he suckled her clit, her head fell back. “I’m gonna come.”
Knox moved her to straddle him. “Not until I’m in you.” He draped his arms over the back of his seat. “Fuck yourself on me, Harper.” She took him inside with one slow, downward, spiral thrust that almost made him come. “Give me your mouth.”
Gripping his shoulders, Harper kissed him just as she began impaling herself on his cock, loving how it stretched her oversensitive pussy just right. He forced his tongue inside her mouth, made her taste herself as he devoured and dominated.
He bit her lip hard. “You want me to come in you, Harper?” She moaned her assent. “Then work for it.” Their mouths stayed locked as she increased her pace, slamming herself down on him. They shared breaths, pants, and groans. He sensed exactly when her orgasm was close. “Wait.”
“Will you just let me come this one damn time?” she griped, digging her nails into his shoulders.
“Wait.” He grunted as she clenched her inner muscles around him in revenge. His demon was both amused and irritated by that.
Harper froze mid-thrust as Knox’s eyes bled to black. The demon didn’t look pissed, but it definitely looked a little piqued. Shit.
“Sneaky little sphinx,” it commented.
“I get a free pass on my birthday, though, right?”
It chuckled, and it was an odd sound; flat, yet not humorless. Then Knox was back. She was about to speak, but he arched a displeased brow.
“Who told you to stop?” he demanded, smacking her ass; her pussy clamped around him and soaked him in a rush of cream. “I said wait, not stop. Ride me.” She mumbled a curse, but he let it slide – mostly because she was frantically impaling herself on his cock. The feel of her so slick, burning hot, and almost painfully tight around him was too much. He knew he wouldn’t last much longer.
“Make me come, Harper. Do it,” he bit out. “Then you can come.” Her movements turned erratic and her hand slid to his nape as she kissed him hard. Her hold wasn’t tight, but his nape began to heat until it was burning and it felt like tiny needles were stabbing his flesh. The bite of pain instantly became pleasure. He opened his eyes to see that hers were black – her demon had branded him, he realized.