Starfire grim gate book.., p.1
Starfire (Grim Gate Book 2), page 1
STARFIRE
BOOK TWO IN THE GRIM GATE SERIES
EMILY GOODWIN
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Thank you
About the Author
Also By Emily Goodwin
Starfire
Book Two in the Grim Gate Series
Copyright 2021
Emily Goodwin
Cover photography by Lindee Robinson
Cover art by Covers by Christian
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
* * *
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or places is purely coincidental.
Created with Vellum
CHAPTER 1
I close my eyes and rest my head against my pillow, snuggling up with my favorite fuzzy blanket.
“Are you going to bed already?” Ethan asks with a chuckle, and the mattress sinks down under his weight as he joins me.
“That wine went to my head and I had to lie down,” I say, laughing as well. “Though now that you’re here…” I wiggle against him. We got back from a dinner date in downtown Thorne Hill. I had a glass of the best red wine I’ve ever had with my meal, so we bought a bottle to bring home. Of course, we opened it not long after we got back to the house, sitting in the library by the fire.
Normally, I’m careful with what I drink. Too much alcohol makes it hard to keep my mental shields up, and I need them to block out the disembodied voices of passing spirits. But whatever spell Great-Aunt Estelle cast on her house I inherited keeps all the spirits out, and I don’t have to worry.
Hence, the overindulgence in wine. Though, to be fair, one glass at dinner and another a good hour later probably isn’t overindulgence for most people. I’m just a lightweight, I guess.
“What did you have in mind?” Ethan spoons his body around mine, lips going to the back of my neck, breath hot against my skin. Smiling, I wiggle closer to him, feeling heat flooding my body.
“We do need to shower.”
“That we do.” He balls the hem of my shirt in his hand, kissing my neck.
“But my clothes are still on. I think you should take them off for me.”
“That would be helpful.” In a swift movement, he pins me between his body and the mattress, bringing my hands up over my head.
My body melts against his, and I curl my legs up, wrapping them around his waist. I pull against Ethan’s hold on my hands. He’s much stronger than me and knowing how easily he can physically overpower me is a turn-on. It’s easy to feel small and delicate next to him, and while I refuse to be controlled in my daily life, I love when Ethan puts his lips next to my ear and growls for me to obey.
He sucks at my neck and then moves his mouth to mine, kissing me with fervor. I buck my hips, pressing my core against his hardening cock. It never fails to amaze me just how fast Ethan can get me hot and bothered like this. He plays my body like an instrument crafted especially for him, and the anticipation of what’s to come makes me desperate for more. And, spoiler alert, it will be me coming—multiple times.
Suddenly letting go of my hands, Ethan sits up. He brings me with and gathers the bottom of my long-sleeved shirt in his hands. I raise my arms above my head, waiting for him to strip me bare. Our eyes lock for a quick moment, and my heart skips a beat in my chest. Fuck, I love this man.
He pulls my shirt over my head and then pushes me back down onto the mattress. Moving down, he takes my leggings and underwear off next, dropping them on the floor next to my top. He dives back onto me again, lips going to the base of my neck, trailing kisses down to my collarbone as he slips his hand behind me and unhooks my bra. I shimmy out of it and Ethan sits back up, looking at my naked body, bathed in the pale moonlight streaming through the bedroom windows.
“You are so fucking gorgeous,” he mewls, looking at me not like I’m the only woman in the world, but the only one he wants. The only one he loves.
The only one who gets to be fucked like this nearly every night.
My tongue darts out, slowly wetting my lips. I hold his gaze and reach down, fingers sweeping over his abdomen. I circle one finger over the button of his jeans, teasing him, and then run my hand over his cock. His eyes fall shut and he moves back to me, lips going to mine. We kiss again, and his tongue slips past my lips as I undo the button on his jeans. His hard cock, hardly able to be confined by his jeans, forces the zipper down. I sweep my fingers over the gleaming tip of his cock and then attempt to pull his shirt off. I don’t get very far, and Ethan is feeling the same desperate need that I am. He leans back and pulls it off, and I hold out a hand, wanting him to stay poised above me for just a moment so I can run my eyes over him, taking in the way the moonlight illuminates his tattoos, casting dark shadows on the contours of his muscular torso.
Unable to hold out any longer, Ethan sinks back down, trailing kisses from my neck to my stomach, stopping just over my core. He brings his hand between my legs, feeling just how wet I am already, and then buries his head between my legs. Instead of working his tongue like magic against my clit, he turns his head and gently kisses the tender flesh on the insides of my thighs.
“Ethan,” I groan, hand going to his head. My pussy begs to be touched, and if he keeps teasing me like this, I might have to reach down and take care of things myself because my body is telling me that I need to come—now.
“Anora,” he growls and lifts his head, swiping his nose against me. It sends a jolt of pleasure through me, making me even more desperate for more. “Getting impatient?”
Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I inhale and look down at him. Ethan has incredible patience and self-control, where I don’t. But it’s his fault. He’s the one who has spoiled me with multiple orgasms and making me feel just so damn good.
“I need to come,” I groan. “Make me come.”
“Not yet.”
“I-I don’t want to wait.”
“What are you going to do?” He turns his head again, and this time he flicks his tongue against me. Oh, fuck, that feels good. Everything inside me is winding up tight, preparing for the release.
“This,” I pant and bring my hand down, almost surprising myself at just how fucking wet I am. I press two fingers over my clit and start rubbing slow circles. My lips part and I sharply inhale as pulses of pleasure zap through me.
“Don’t stop touching yourself,” Ethan commands. “Not until you come and I see your pussy spasm against your fingers.” He wraps his fingers around his cock, spreading the ball of precum that’s pooled around the tip down his shaft. Knowing he’s watching—and getting off—turns me on even more and I start moving my fingers faster and faster. It doesn’t take long until I’m right there, teetering on the verge of an orgasm.
And Ethan knows it too, and at the last second, he jerks my hand away and puts his mouth against me, tongue lashing out over my clit. My head lulls back and my mouth falls open. I was so fucking close and the second-long transition from my fingers to Ethan’s tongue makes everything more intense.
He licks and sucks my clit, and I press one hand against the bed, fingers digging into the mattress as I come hard against Ethan’s face. But he doesn’t stop, doesn’t give me a second to breathe. He keeps working his tongue against me as I writhe with pleasure, body on overdrive where I can hardly handle it.
And just when I don’t think I can anymore, he pushes two fingers inside me, going right to my g-spot. Curling his fingers, he presses against my inner wall at the same time he lashes his tongue against my clit. I come again, this time so hard my entire body shudders. He rides it out, not stopping until my ears are ringing and stars dot my vision.
Holy shit.
Panting, my head falls to the side, eyes fluttering shut. Ethan strips out of the rest of his clothes and moves between my legs. He rests his forehead against mine, giving me a few seconds to recover. Then he kisses me, soft and gentle, and I can taste myself on his lips.
Heart still racing, I wrap my fingers around his thick cock and guide it to me. I’m still so wound up, still so sensitive. He pushes inside, going slow at first. I cry out in pleasure and rake my nails up over his back. I’m still reeling from coming that hard with orgasms right after another. Feebly, I bend my legs and angle my hips so Ethan can thrust in deeper.
Instead, he switches positions,
And he’s just good in bed.
He grips my waist, driving me down onto him as he bucks his hips, hitting me at a new angle. It’s all I need to come for the third time, and my pussy tightens around his cock. I pitch forward, breasts in his face, loudly moaning. He comes right after that, and his pulsing cock inside of me feels so damn good, I almost come again.
We both stay there, locked together, for a moment. Once my heart rate slows down, I grab his boxers from the foot of the bed and use them to wipe up the mess before falling onto the mattress. I want so badly to fall asleep now, floating on the after-bliss of amazing sex. But in the back of my mind, I know I need to get up, pee, brush my teeth, and maybe take my makeup off.
“You’re falling asleep,” Ethan says, sounding just as content and tired as I feel.
“I know.” I force my eyes open but they shut again only a second later. A few more minutes pass before we’re able to leave our bed and stagger into the bathroom.
I get back into bed feeling completely relaxed, soaking in just how freaking nice it is to be able to let my guard down like this. Ethan and I have been here in Thorne Hill for roughly four months now, and I’m still so grateful for whatever protection spell lies on this house. I didn’t realize before how I hardly ever let my guard down—all the way down—until I moved here with Ethan.
“What should we do tomorrow?” I ask Ethan, tracing an outline of one of his tattoos with my finger.
He drapes his arm around me and covers us both back up. Hunter, my familiar who takes the form of a German shepherd, lazily saunters into the room, plopping down on his large dog bed near the door of our room.
“It’s been a few days since we’ve practiced hand-to-hand combat. Are you still sore?” He does little to hide the amusement in his voice.
“Hey,” I shoot right back, slitting my eyes open to look at him. They don’t stay open long, and I nestle my head against his shoulder. “I was sore from riding both horses in one day. I haven’t jumped in weeks, and that is why I was sore.”
“Sure it was.” Ethan tightens his hold on me, kissing my forehead before letting out a satisfied sigh. “We’ll figure it out in the morning. Let’s go to bed, babe.”
“Good idea,” I say sleepily. “It’s supposed to be warm-ish tomorrow. For January, I mean.”
“Okay.” He strokes my hair, not following my rather vague train of thought. “Maybe we can tackle some outside work then.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of going through another box or two in the attic.”
“It’s going to be warmer than today, but not that warm,” he reminds me. Since we moved into this century-old house I inherited from my great-aunt, we’ve been slowly going through the mass of junk left in the attic. And by junk, I mean just that: whoever renovated this house took everything from the main living areas and shoved it into the attic. It’s a wonder that floor hasn’t collapsed, really.
But more than wanting to make the attic not look like a setting for Hoarders, we’re hoping to find answers. I’m still just as clueless as to why Aunt Estelle bound my witch-powers and took away my memories. We were forced to move from Syracuse, New York to the estate she left me in Thorne Hill, Indiana—all because of demon attacks caused by my aunt’s interference. I’m hoping the attic will hold the clues to this deadly mystery.
Though we do have an idea why the demon Astaroth went after me in the first place, and—no surprise—it all goes back to a memory spell Aunt Estelle wove into my head. If she’d just told me the truth from the start, maybe my friends would all be alive. It pisses me off just thinking about it and, with my newly developing powers, getting pissed the fuck off from just a thought is dangerous.
Can you blame me, though? Leslie is dead. She died a painful, terrifying death all because demonic bounty hunters were sent after me. And, it turns out, their master wanted revenge after my aunt helped locate her, aiding in a ritual that bound her demonic entity to a human body, rendering her powerless.
Once my aunt died, the binding spell weakened, and Astaroth set out to seek whatever vengeance she could. My aunt was long gone, so the demon went after her next of kin. Which is me. Lucky, I know. I did literally nothing to hurt this demon—whom I didn’t even know existed—and yet she was hellbent on getting back at me.
While demons are starting to seem like overdramatic teenagers to me, Ethan is worried more will follow suit. Not just to seek revenge on me, but to make sure I don’t carry out my aunt’s legacy of locating and binding demons. I was able to fly under the radar, thanks to my aunt’s binding spell, but now that everything has been unbound, I’m a sitting duck.
Right as I’m about to drift to sleep, something goes crashing to the ground in the guest room next to the owners’ suite. Startled, I jump in Ethan’s arms and then immediately groan.
“Romeo,” I grumble, meaning my ferret. “That was probably his water bowl. He has nothing else in there.”
“I’ll check,” Ethan tells me softly and gets out of bed. I watch his naked backside disappear into the dark hall, coming back to bed only a few minutes later. “It was the water bowl. I cleaned it up.”
“Thanks,” I say, voice thick with sleep. “He likes it better than a drip bottle, but he spills it every five minutes.”
Ethan chuckles and takes me back in his arms. “Maybe he needs a friend.”
Perking up, I lift my head so I can look at my handsome boyfriend. “You know suggesting getting another animal to the former vet tech is dangerous territory, right?”
His full lips pull into a half smile. “We already got the donkeys to keep the horses company—whatever that means—and we’re getting chickens this spring. I don’t see how one more ferret could hurt.”
Smiling, I wiggle closer to Ethan, feeling so much for him right now. “I’m going to search the different rescue groups in the morning then.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
I wake up to Hunter stretched out in Ethan’s spot, and my boyfriend nowhere in sight. He rolls over for a belly rub as soon as he sees I’m awake. Taking my time to stretch and cuddle with Hunter, I lazily grab my phone and get out of bed. It’s a little past nine and Ethan must have turned my alarm off. It’s my turn to get up and feed the horses this morning.
Bright sunlight streams through the windows, warming the day and melting what’s left of the snow from the last snowstorm. The weather in the Midwest is just as unpredictable as it is in Syracuse this time of year. It’ll be in the high forties today and tomorrow, and then the temps plummet again.
Pulling on a pair of sweatpants and one of Ethan’s sweatshirts, I grab socks from my dresser drawer, put them on, and go downstairs.
“Morning,” Ethan says when I get into the kitchen. The smell of coffee fills the air, and an empty mug sits on the table in front of Ethan.
“Did you feed the horses?”
“Yeah, and I let them out.”
“Thanks. You could have slept in.” I stop behind him, resting my hands on his shoulders, able to feel just how muscular he is even through the thick button-up flannel over his black t-shirt.
“I know.” He tips his head up so I can lean over and kiss him. “Sam texted me and I couldn’t go back to sleep after.”
“I’m guessing her text wasn’t just checking in then?” I let my hands fall from his shoulders and step over to the counter to pour myself some coffee. I flick my eyes back to Ethan, and the look on his face tells me everything. Sam wasn’t texting to see how we’re doing here in Indiana.
