“And the binding? You said there was more to it.”
I open my smirk. “Yeah. We have to fuck.”
This time, wrath burns in her eyes like two lava pits. “Fuck off.”
“Seriously.”
“Fuck no.” She glares at me, then shakes her head. “No, just no. I won’t fuck you. Shit, I can’t even tell if you’re lying or not,” she says to herself, then shakes her head furiously. “No. I will not fuck you. Think of something else.”
I pout, but she’s unrelenting. Damn it. My pout usually gets me places. “Okay. Then a kiss.”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re not helping me.”
“I am doing everything in my power to help you.”
“Is this a joke?” she hisses, taking a step away. The rejection on her face pierces me. I don’t like the way it feels.
“No, though I agree,I’m a hilarious person.”
“Never said that,” she mutters, looking away. “Listen, isn’t there any way we can bind the deal without, you know, getting physical?”
“Not really. I am a sex demon, after all.” A beat passes in silence. “Is it because of your mate?” I ask, and there’s this ridiculous edge to my voice. I clear my throat before she notices it. “You think he’d be jealous?”
“Mates,” she replies, emphasizing the S. I can’t hide my interest. Shit, the woman really has more than one mate? A hundred different images of several dicks taking her cross my mind, and it’s getting impossible to conceal my hard-on. These pants weren’t made for this. “And it’s more about respect, not jealousy. Though... Apollo would be pretty pissed.” And she brings a hand up to chew on her thumbnail. It looks adorable. I pretend I’m not gaping. “Okay,” she bursts, whirling to look at me. “They’d understand. It’s life or death.”
“Quite literally.” And I smirk. She makes this annoyed face every time I open one of my smirks, and it just makes me want to do it all the time. As a demon, I’ve been through everything—torture, BDSM, straight evil shit. Blame my nature for finding it amusing to watch her get annoyed. “Ready?” And I drop my smile, stepping closer to her.
The woman doesn’t move away. She puts her hands down and nods. I reach out, cradling her cheek in a hand. Her parted lips let a gasp out, her eyes darting up at me. I stare at them, at the darkness in them, the pure, solid shadows that they are, and brush my lips against hers. She closes her eyes, her shoulders growing taut. I bury my other hand in her thick hair and tilt her head back.
Maybe because of how fiery she is, the sight of her surrendering to me is the sweetest thing I’ve seen in a while. Her eyelashes fluttering against her cheekbones, the way her pretty lips part to take me in. The mere sight of her is both beauty and pure, unleashed sex.
“What’s your name?” I breathe out, not sure why.
She doesn’t open her eyes to reply. “Cassandra.”
Cassandra. There’s something musical to the way her name rolls off her tongue. I call upon the magic inside me and kiss her. Her soft lips part further,and I deepen the kiss. Cassandra shudders against me, a sigh climbing up her throat. Electricity buzzes in an arc around us, making my ears pop. That’s the magic. It seals the promise between us, reaching into Cassandra’s soul and marking it as part of mine. The magic dies out, but I can’t pull my lips back from her.
She hums against me, her body thrumming with energy. Her hands climb my chest, curling intofists on my suit. I should ditch this suit... But then, I want to ditch everything else too, put her down and spread her open for me to devour. To adore. Just so I could learn the sound of her moans when she came apart.
I sweep my tongue over hers, bending so her body presses flush to mine. Cassandra’s knees buckle. I hold her tighter, devouring her lips, eating her up until I can smell the faint scent of her arousal. It’s fucking delicious. There’s something alluring in the way she smells, and I can tell I would have a field day exploring this body of hers...
She breaks the kiss. Her cheeks are flushed as she takes several unsure steps back. “Did you use your power on me?” she asks, out of breath, eyes burning.
I’m breathless and almost shaky when our eyes meet. To hide how I reacted to her, I force a smirk onto my face. “No. That was all natural.”
She grunts, her hands closing in tight fists as she turns around. Cassandra scoffs before she looks over her shoulder at me. “You keep telling yourself that. Let’s go.”
I bury my hands into my pants pockets and take the lead, but my heart beats loudly in my ears. Her taste lingers, and a strange longing pulses in my chest. So, I do the one thing I can. I choose to ignore it.
CHAPTER10
TRISTAN
Today, as soon as they shove Apollo back into his cell, they come for me. I shoot to my feet, squaring my shoulders, growing bigger. The way I’ve seen Apollo do. I won’t let them take me. No, I won’t let them drag me out of here without a fight. I close my hands intofists,even as I quiver on the inside. Even as everything in me tells me I should surrender, diminish myself, anything to live another day.
They unlock the cell, hesitant eyes on me. Another vampire joins. Thereare three of them today, more than usual. I hear a fourth one near the door, maybe a fifth. They are here either to take more of us, or they think I might give them trouble. The thought burns an ember inside me. I want to give them trouble. I want to make Kayn pay for what he’s done to my mate.
The door swings open. Two of them stand there, waiting for me. One motions with a hand. “Come on,” he orders. “Kayn wants to see you.”