Demon blind, p.16
Demon Blind, page 16
I hung up my jacket and looked at Scath.
“When I’m with you, I forget all the reasons I’m afraid. I forget to be afraid. Back in Tenacity, I would have kept my head down on my walk home. My ears would have been straining for infected moans or panicked screams. I would have already been planning where to run and where to hide. But just now? There wasn’t any of that. I was looking at everyone we passed and nodding back to them.
“You make me feel safe, Scath. And when you pull that ‘pin her to the wall’ move? I feel so loved and wanted. I want you to feel that, but I don’t know how to give that to you. Tell me what to do to show you how much I care about you. Because I don’t want to wait to be with you. Everyone’s working so hard to embrace the possibility of a future, and I’m just here, standing still.”
His hand cupped the back of my head, and he pressed his forehead to mine.
“You love me,” he said.
“I think I do. I can’t say I’ve ever been in love before to know. But I can say that I’ve never felt for anyone what I feel for you. I want to use you as my pillow every night until the day I die. I want to cook meals with you and laugh with you. And the idea of maybe having babies with you someday isn’t as terrifying as it was because I know you and all the other people here will be with me, keeping me and whatever kids we have safe.”
He lifted his head to brush a kiss against my brow. Then another one a little to the right of it.
“Does this mean you believe me?” I asked.
He took my hands and pinned them to the wall above my head.
“I believe you,” he said.
Then he claimed my lips, and nothing else existed but Scath.
CHAPTER THIRTY
SCATH
My heart pounded in my chest as I claimed Apryl’s lips. She was mine. Truly mine. She loved me. She wanted to live the rest of her life with me. My hunger for her intensified, and I released her hands to grasp her hips. Her fingers threaded through my hair, and she moaned as I lifted her.
Pinning her against the wall with my weight, I ground my aching cock against her, giving her what she’d said she wanted. Another small sound escaped her. Each one teased me and drove me to wring another from her and another until her legs wrapped around my waist and she moved in time with my slow thrusts.
She tore her mouth from mine, panting.
“Scath, please. I need you.”
“Tell me what you want,” I said, kissing my way down her throat. “Do you want these gone?” I pulled back enough to rub a hand over her jean-covered core. “Do you want me to sink into your pussy while I hold you against the wall, or do you want me to bury my tongue there first?”
“Yes,” she panted, pulling on my hair. “All of it.”
I chuckled and held her against me as I strode to the bedroom, punctuating each step with a nip to her collarbone. The ragged sound of her breathing filled the air and fed my need. When we reached the bed, I placed her on the mattress and unbuttoned her pants.
“My mouth waters for a taste of you,” I said as I worked. “I’ve thought of little else. Waking. Sleeping. My cock has ached with my need to taste you on my tongue.”
“Yes,” she panted. “More.”
“More what?”
“Tell me what you’ve been thinking.”
Her pants came free, exposing her thong. I hooked my fingers in the thin material and pulled.
“I’ve been dreaming of parting your beautiful—what happened to your pretty curls?”
The once thick thatch of beautifully curled down was nothing more than a mismatched patch of stubble and skin. I gently ran my fingers over her once lush folds in sorrow. They glistened wetly, though, distracting me from the travesty. As did the way her legs fell to the side, parting her wide.
“It’ll grow back,” she panted. “Tell me you still want a taste.”
I licked my lips and nodded, suddenly too parched to speak. Instead of answering, I dipped my head and ran my tongue along the right side of her dripping slit. We groaned in unison as the lightly salted yet sweet flavor hit my tastebuds. It was better than my brothers had said. Thousands of times better.
Gently, I lapped the left side, hungry for the feast she would offer me. For a lifetime.
“Tell me you love me,” I said before stroking my tongue over that little bump that made some females squeal.
“I love you, Scath,” Apryl said with a sigh.
“And I love you, my Apryl,” I said, dipping my tongue into her core where the taste of her was concentrated. I lost myself in the pleasure of tasting her for several minutes, listening to her breathing increase until she shouted and her core pulsed against my tongue.
“Yes,” I breathed between licks. “You are so pretty, my Apryl. So giving. Tell me I can continue.”
“I need a minute,” she panted.
I removed my mouth from her folds and kissed the inside of her thighs. Using my gentle bites to distract her, I eased a finger into her channel.
She made a contented sound, and I smiled, knowing she would welcome more attention once her pulse returned to normal. Setting a slow pace, I moved my finger in and out several times then added a second one.
“How can that feel so good this soon?” she mumbled.
“Your body is eager to welcome me.” I placed a light kiss on that little bump in her folds, and she jumped. “Not yet, but soon.” I soothed her with another kiss on her thigh.
When I added a third finger, her tight channel fought me.
“I think it’s time for another taste.”
“Wait, I think—ah!”
Her core clenched around my fingers as I caught that little nub between my lips and gently suckled. Then she opened for me, and my fingers moved in and out of her with ease.
I stroked her a few more times as I stripped off my pants. She only felt a moment of emptiness before I positioned my cock at her entrance and pressed into her. The tightness returned, and I knew from my brothers not to force myself inside but to work my length in inch by inch.
“Yes,” I said. “That’s my beautiful female.”
I shook with my need for release but refused to give in to the urge until she clenched around my shaft. It was unlike anything I’d ever felt and better than I had imagined.
Her nails dug into my back, and her hips began to rise in time with mine, pulling me deeper.
“Yes,” she panted. “Like that. But more.”
I rotated my hips and finally sank all the way home. Pausing there, I waited, giving her time to fully accept me as I struggled for control. Her wet heat branded me. The need to move in the warm, welcoming depths that gripped me threatened to rob me of every thought.
She swore under her breath and wiggled under me.
“Too much?” I rasped.
“No. No. Just give me…” She wiggled again. “Scath, you need to move. I was so close.”
Understanding what she meant, my control snapped. I braced one arm next to her head and reached under her ass to tilt her hips.
We both made relieved sounds when I started a new, frenzied rhythm.
“Yes,” she panted. “Yes. Harder.”
I didn’t give her what she wanted. She would be sore as it was, and I knew one release wouldn’t be enough. She tightened around me, crying out and milking my shaft until I joined her. Pulse after pulse, I emptied myself into her.
After the last one, I bent my head and kissed her tenderly.
“You are mine, Apryl. Today and every tomorrow after. Forever.”
“Forever,” she agreed weakly. “Especially with the moves you have. I’m never leaving.”
“You liked it?”
“I loved it. I can’t wait to do it again.”
I gently moved in and out of her. “Then we won’t wait.”
Her eyes went wide as she looked up at me.
“I thought the rumors were an exaggeration.”
“What rumors?” I asked, not pausing.
“The ones that said you never went soft and could have endless sex.”
I chuckled. “Too much sex will hurt you. One more time, and then we’ll rest,” I promised.
She insisted on two more times before she closed her eyes and fell asleep. I held her in my arms and drifted off, feeling a contentment I’d never before had.
Apryl was mine.
Forever.
EPILOGUE
APRYL
I knocked on Angel’s door and tried not to let any of my anxiety show. During the weeks I’d been here, I’d learned the fey saw everything and heard even more. And I didn’t want to give any hints as to what was going on. At least, not yet.
Shax opened the door, impatience stamped on his face.
“Hey, Shax. Is Angel home?”
“She’s not feeling well.”
“Shax! Don’t you dare,” Angel yelled from inside. “I’m just fine.”
He frowned but stepped aside to let me in.
“Everything okay?” I asked him as I took off my jacket.
“He’s anxious,” Angel said, waddling her way toward me. “Ninja has stopped kicking for cupcakes. He’s still moving around. I can feel him. Shax is just freaking out, which is going to make me freak out. So Shax is going to go have a nice visit with whoever he wants, except Cassie, and let me have one hour of peace where I get to visit with Apryl. Right, Shax?”
Angel sounded so unlike herself that I glanced at Shax to see if he knew what to make of her.
He nodded, kissed her cheek, and fled.
Angel turned her slightly angry scowl at me and rubbed her side.
“I’m really glad you’re here,” she said softly. “I was trying to keep my cool around him, but it was cracking.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked again.
“Yeah. Just nature running its course. Come on, let’s sit down, and you can tell me what brought you by.”
I followed her to the living room, noticing her slower gait and more pronounced waddle. When she turned to sit on the couch, I also saw how much bigger her belly looked under the Shax-sized t-shirt she wore.
“How much longer until the Ninja gets here?” I asked.
“That’s all up to mother nature,” she said as she settled into place, slowly rubbing her hands over her belly.
I hesitated to ask the question I really wanted to ask.
“Are you excited?” I asked after a moment.
“Honestly? I’m scared shitless. I’m afraid it’s going to hurt. That something is going to go wrong. That I’m going to die trying to bring a baby into a world that is absolutely not baby-proofed.”
I felt my nose start to tingle with tears and couldn’t stop them from spilling over.
“Aw shit. You’re pregnant, aren’t you? And you came here looking for some support and encouragement,” Angel said softly.
I nodded.
“I’m sorry. Today’s not the best day for that. I’ll probably have more positive things to say tomorrow.”
Before I could ask why tomorrow, she winced, and a gush of liquid soaked the couch.
“Don’t say anything,” she said forcefully. “Not one word.”
I nodded, understanding.
“I just need a minute to think.” She waved me over and held out her hand. I took it and let her squeeze it through a contraction. Probably not her first.
“I was scared,” I said. “I wanted to talk to you because you always seemed so calm about being pregnant. I guess I wanted you to talk me down from a ledge. But Julie gave me the answer weeks ago. She said that if I got pregnant, I wouldn’t be doing it alone. And she wasn’t just talking about Scath. She said that every person here would give up their lives to keep a baby safe because our kids will be our future.
“That doesn’t erase the fear of the delivery. But I guess it gives a meaningful purpose to everything we endure to help make that future possible.”
“Okay, Yoda. You’re here for the long haul, now,” she said with a half-smile that turned to a grimace.
Once that contraction passed, she very quietly told me what to do.
I hurried to the door.
“I need the nearest fey to go get Cassie, Kerr, Julie, Shax, Solin, and Garrett. Angel’s baby is coming.”
Several of the nearby fey took off at a sprint. Others ran toward the house. I closed the door before they could ask questions, just like she’d said.
“Message delivered and fey running for your people,” I said, hurrying back to her side.
She was breathing through another contraction, and I took her hand. When she finished, she looked at me.
“Tell me everything will be okay,” she said.
“Everything will be okay,” I said. “Women have been giving birth since the ice age, right? And we’ve gotten a whole lot smarter about how to do it safely.”
She gave me a grateful smile as the door opened. Cassie hurried in as Kerr closed the door behind her.
The redhead, who I’d met once before, glanced at Angel, who was squeezing my hand again, then handed me a watch.
“Tell me how long between this one and the next one, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Looks like your water broke, Angel,” Cassie said. “Did the contractions start before or after?”
The door opened again.
“Before,” Angel answered. “They woke me up.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Shax asked.
“Because babies take time, and I didn’t want you freaking out,” she snapped.
He frowned, looking sad, and Cassie glanced at him.
“Remember how hormones can make the moods swing? This is like that. Try not to take it personally. I’d like your help setting up the bed, okay?”
They disappeared upstairs, and I marked the time as another contraction started.
The door opened again, and Julie entered with a man I’d never met.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Julie said, hurrying into the living room. The guy stayed by the door.
“I’m here, Angel,” he said. “Do you need anything? A pickle? Snack cake?”
Angel gave a strangled laugh. “A pep talk if you have one.”
“There are at least fifty fey outside this house, all waiting to greet my niece or nephew. That’s at least fifty willing diaper changers for you.”
She laughed again, but I could see the fear in her eyes that she was trying to hide.
“We’re all set,” Cassie said, coming back down the stairs with Shax.
When he walked toward her, she released my hand, and I got out of the way.
Scath was always careful with me when he was picking me up and carrying me around, and having his way with me. But the way Shax handled Angel was something else entirely. Like she was a landmine, and one wrong move and she’d explode, which was probably right.
“Stop,” she said. “I need to walk.”
Cassie waved for him to put her down.
“She’ll tell us what she needs,” she said. “She’s listening to her body, and we should do the same.”
“Come on, sweetie,” Julie said, taking her hand. “Think you can get up those stairs?”
Angel nodded and looked at Shax. “Behind me. Get ready to catch.”
I wasn’t sure she was talking about her or the baby she was carrying.
“How far apart are they?” Cassie asked me softly.
“A minute,” I said.
She made a face and glanced at Julie, who nodded.
“Do you feel like pushing, Angel?” Julie asked.
“Someone down the stairs? Yes. This baby out? Not yet. Ninja can stay a little longer.”
“We have nothing to worry about, Angel,” I said as she made her way up the stairs. “We’ve got this.”
She glanced back at me, nodded, and started moving a little faster.
The door opened again.
“They’re upstairs, Solin,” the guy by the door said. “Better hurry. Doesn’t sound like the baby’s going to wait for you.”
The fey took the stairs two at a time before the guy came over and looked at the wet cushions.
“My name’s Garrett. I’m Angel’s adopted apocalypse brother. Any chance you’re willing to help clean the couch?”
We worked together and listened to the sounds coming from upstairs. My stomach churned with every grunting groan from Angel and each low murmur of words. Garrett paced. I sat on the dry cushion and tried to will everything into being okay.
When there was a sudden squeal, I sprang to my feet. Garrett beat me to the stairs.
“I need an update,” he said.
“Angel is tired but doing fine,” Julie called.
“And the baby?” he asked.
“It’s a girl.”
That was it. Nothing else.
He and I shared a look, and he returned to his pacing.
Unable to take the suspense, I went upstairs and peeked into the bedroom. The towels between Angel’s legs were bloody, which freaked me out. Shax, too, by the looks of things. He was kneeling on the floor beside the bed, not looking between her legs at the still-connected baby but at Angel.
I didn’t look at her. My eyes were locked on the baby.
The little girl flailed her arms and legs as she cried, which seemed normal enough. Her coloring wasn’t, though. Her body was a patchwork of grey spots and pale skin.
“Why won’t they let me hold her, Apryl,” Angel asked. “What’s wrong with her?”
I glanced at Cassie, who was examining every inch of the infant and listening to her heart, then met Angel’s gaze.
“I don’t think anything is wrong with her any more than anything is wrong with Mya or Eden,” I said. “She has grey spots.”
Angel held out her arms. “Give her to me.”
Julie wiped a wet rag over Angel’s forehead, smoothing back her hair as Cassie removed her stethoscope and picked up the baby.
