She chews on the inside of her cheek, then nods. “Thanks, Zaki.”
“No, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left you by yourself.” And I brush my knuckles along her cheek, tucking her hair behind an ear. The relief of seeing her safe and sound is a strange thing inside my chest. Soothing. Warm. Absolutely creepy.
And I can’t help but notice she doesn’t pull away. She stays tucked into my embrace, protected. Comfortable. Cassandra glances over my shoulder at the party happening around us. “So, this is a demonic party?”
I scan the people fucking on the dance floor, the succubus sashaying around leading a leashed human, the incubus on his knees sucking an ifrit’s cock. There’s nothing unusual to me, but for the first time I catch myself wondering what she’s thinking of it. Humans, I’ve learned, are terribly prejudiced and hypocrites. They enjoy pointing fingers, then going home and doing the exact thing they complained about. At least we demons are honest about being shitty.
“Yes,” I say, stretching the word as I slide a glance at her. “What about it?”
She glances at the succubus leading the human, now on all fours, and literally shrugs. She takes a look at a demonic sex party andshrugs. “Not as bad as I expected.” Then her gaze fastens on the incubus, sucking an ifrit’s cock and something shines in her eyes. She looks away too fast for me to say for sure, but fucking hell, if this woman is getting horny... “Did you find the transport?” she asks.
“I did. They’ll let us know when it’s ready.”
“So, we just have to mingle and wait?” And she looks up at me with curiosity on her face. She’s curious. About a demonic party. This woman will be the end of me.
I let my hands drop, but I don’t step away. “You sure you want to wander around a place like this? After what almost happened?”
She worries her bottom lip for a moment, then smiles. “You’ll keep me safe, right?” Cassandra turns and starts into the crowd. The confidence she puts in me does something weird to my stomach. I step up to walk next to her, my hand pressing to the small of her back. My fingers touch bare skin, and it’s only then I notice what she’s wearing.
Bless the demon who gave her these clothes. Cassandra’s still wearing her sensible black boots, but the length of her creamy legs is exposed by a short red dress. The fabric clings to her curves, a slit revealing a thigh with every step she takes. The cleavage runs low, the garment held together by two straps behind her back. My fingers flinch, blood racing to my cock so fast I go dizzy. Fuck, why am I reacting like this? She’s not the first hot woman I’ve crossed paths with.
My gaze finds her face, and I catch her staring at my open shirt. I never cared about what people thought of my body, not when all bodies are appreciated down here, but the way she flushes makes my heart soar with newly found pride. Our gazes lock and Cassandra swallows hard. She reaches up for her cleavage and fumbles with it.
“This dress is too short and too loose at the same time,” she complains, clicking her tongue. “There’s no support. I would have stuck to my pants, but I didn’t want them to kick me out.”
We pass a waiter and I pluck a glass of wine for each of us. “Fuck support,” I hiss, sipping from the wine, my eyes on her cleavage. With every step, her tits bounce slightly. It’s the best sight I’ve had in years. Maybe in forever.
She chuckles once she catches me staring. “You talk like my mates,” she says before drinking from the wine. She hums in delight at the taste, her brows furrowing. “Shit, this stuff is good.”
I follow her lead and drink, too. The tang of the alcohol is soft in the back of my throat, but there’s a dry and sweet quality to the drink that makes you crave more of it. I know the kind. Sweet and soft, so you drink more than you should. Inebriation is hard to achieve for demons, and something this subtle might pack quite the punch in quantity.
Cassandra finishes her glass, then goes for a second one. I reach out and take her fingers with mine. “Not so soon,” I tell her, then watch her pout. “You shouldn’t make light of demonic drinks. We can’t have you drunk on our way out.”
The mention of our escape makes her perk up. She nods, we put our empty glasses away, then she lets her body move to the rhythm of the music. I move along, swaying to the pumping music as it buzzes her to life. Cassandra blossoms beautifully in front of me, the light hitting her hair, cascading down her face. Her eyes glint at me, and she raises her hands to land them on my shoulders. I fold my fingers around her waist and let the sound move us together.
Lowering my head to hers, I brush my lips along her temple, down her ear. “You’re so fucking beautiful, little moth,” I whisper against her. She shivers, her body arching closer to mine.
Cassandra is an earthquake, shaking me to life. And a small part of me fears the finale, when she’s back home and I’m left with the fallout.
CHAPTER18
CASSANDRA
Zaki’s strong arms cage me in, and if I focus on his eyes for too long, I even forget where we are. The party, the demons, the lurking danger. It diminishes to the back of my mind, becoming a shadow, an unimportant thing. When he holds me like this, like he’s seen thousands of women and I’m the only one who matters, I almost forget who we are.
His warm breath touches my ear, scatters down my neck. I tilt my head sideways, exposing more of my skin to him. There’s something so utterly attractive to his presence I don’t feel like keeping my distance. We dance together, our bodies brushing against one another. His hands, folded around my waist, set me on fire.
The instant attraction is the same I felt with my mates, but it’s also different. Zaki is new but familiar, and though I want to feel himeverywhere, I’m painfully aware of how much I shouldn’t.
The music changes and ignites. My heart beats with its rhythm, electric and powerful, the unknown song slipping down my skin like silk. I flutter my eyes closed and let my head drop back as the music possesses me. The experience is unlike anything I’ve ever felt, and I’m glad Zaki’s here with me.
I open my eyes and find his gaze on me. Heavy, darkened. His yellow eyes are bright with the orange light, but his pupils are blown wide. He doesn’t hide the desire on his face, and it’s mixed with something like awe and appreciation. Feelings I’ve only ever seen in the faces of my mates.
My fingers brush down Zaki’s silky shirt. I sink my teeth into my lower lip and let my fingers come back up, slipping beneath the fabric to touch his chest. His tattoos are different here in the Abyss—beautiful and menacing, glittering with a light that only exists in the darkness. I trace the lines up his shoulders, down his pecs. A knot tightens in my throat, desire pooling low in my body. Bringing my hands up, I let my thumbs stroke up his nipples, glancing at the cold metal of his piercings.
Zaki releases a choked sound and buries a hand into my hair. His fingers tighten around the strands near my nape, and he forces my head back, tilting my chin up. I glance at his lips a moment before they crash into mine. Our bodies collide a heartbeat later, his heat burning, beckoning. I hug myself closer to him and let him pry my lips open.
Zaki’s tongue swipes over mine, pure heat rushing across my body before it settles at the apex of my thighs. He kisses me like he needs it. Like he’s parched, and I’m his last bottle of water. Zaki explores my mouth, sucking on my lips, eating me up with such intent I can’t help but feel damn special. Pleasure oozes from every pore, and I sink a hand into his black hair, scraping my nails down his scalp. He sighs in delight against me, a roar vibrating across his chest. The sound settles over me like a heavy, scratchy blanket. It makes me uncomfortable, it starts a need inside me to fucking strip.