Devon’s expression cleared, and she clutched at the boulder again. “My mother laced my tea with harpy venom a couple hours ago.” As Devon explained about some lesser demon and his harpy army and her mother tricking her so they’d bothbecome hideous shrews, his anger surged and he returned to his jackal form, fire blazing from his fingertips.
Devon yelped and leaped backwards. She was already at the mountain’s edge, and she lost her balance and tumbled down the side, screaming.
He rolled his eyes and dove after her.
The wind whistled past him as he sliced through the air. Devon was inches from the jagged rocks when he snagged her wrist, and in a flash, he transported them to a spit of sand under a copse of gnarled trees. They landed in a tangle; Devon sprawled on his chest.
A tingle spread like the warmth of the sun from everywhere she lay against him. A sun’s warmth he hadn’t remembered until this moment. He expected Devon to scramble away, but she didn’t. “You saved me.” Her face tilted towards his and he met her gaze.
“Yes.” He glanced at her hand, where the ring remained in place. He frowned. “Saving your life should have taken away the boon I owe you.”
Her brows shot up, and she raised her hand and studied the ring. “Is that what this is? You grant me a wish?”
He cursed his slip, but didn’t toss her off. He rather liked the way her breasts pressed against his chest. “Not a wish. I’m not a djinn. I can provide a service for you, if it’s within my power.”
Her gaze flickered over his face, but she didn’t scramble away in fear, even though he hadn’t shifted back to his human form. Slowly, her fingers brushed across his chest. “You’re hot to the touch. Even your armor is warm.”
“I run hot. Whenever possible, I wear nothing. Nude is best.” His voice had deepened into a huskiness he didn’t recognize. He flipped Devon onto her back and pinned her under him.
Her breath hitched, but she didn’t struggle to get away. “Is it within your power to remove harpy venom?”
“Let’s see how much venom is in your system.” He lowered to her neck and teased the tip of his tongue up her throat.
She whimpered, but it wasn’t fear scenting the surrounding air. It was the deepening plume of honeyed vanilla.Lust.“You can taste their venom by licking me? Or are you going to bite me?”
“I’ll nibble if you want me to.” Rerek couldn’t taste harpy venom either way. He’d simply wanted to run his tongue across her skin. “I can destroy the venom in your system, but the only way to burn their venom out is to replace it with mine.”
“What?” This time fear spiked through the air, and she scrambled to free herself. He sat up and allowed her to push him away. “Will I become one of you?”
He laughed. “No. Harpies have no males, and they need venom to create more of their kind. I’m a god. My venom is for a different purpose and much more pleasurable.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
Rerek reached up to his headdress and pointed to the snake at his crown. “In my native language, the word for venom and semen is the same—mtwt.Both course through you, hot and potent, drugging you with pleasure. The nectar of the gods.”
Devon’s gaze fell to his waist, and his cock twitched in response. “Do I have to chug your …” Her cheeks pinked.
“I can inject venom into my saliva, too, so no chugging is required. Although, if you’re interested, I won’t stop you.”
Her entire face flamed red as she continued to stare at his groin. “What do you mean, drugging me with pleasure?”
“My venom is for breeding. I haven’t used it before, but I know what it does. Once I give it to you, nothing else will exist except your desire for me to mount you. Over and over.” A shimmer, like what stirred when he called an illusion forward, floated around her for a moment.
The air crackled, as if he’d ignited his fire, but there were no flames anywhere. Desire kicked through his veins. There was something different about this mortal.Devon.When he’d roamed Ulterra, many mortals stood before him to grant him their life essence. Some shuwt punched into the air, as if they’d been vicious in life. Others coiled, like they were devious and waiting for the moment to strike. But Devon… she flamed. Far more powerful than any mortal he’d met, and with an intensity that thrummed the longer he remained close to her. He leaned forward and let the primal rush wash over him. It teased the edges of his power. What was strange, though, was his desire was only for Devon, not for taking her power for his own.
The shimmer flickered again.
“How long will your venom stick around? Or am I going to desire you forever?”
“I’ll give you one dose by bite, and the first time I’m inside you, filling you with mtwt, you’ll get another. It’ll last about a day, long enough to burn off the harpy venom.” Rerek raised a brow. “But your desire for me? Once I touch you, you’ll always want more.”
“Is that because of you, or because you’ll cast more of your illusions?”
He growled and grabbed her ankle, pulling her back to him. “I don’t need illusions during sex. I’m fantasy enough.” His grip gentled, and his fingers traced under the cuff of her pant leg. When his fingertips trailed over her skin, she shuddered.
“What have you chosen?” he demanded. “Speak your boon aloud.”
Chapter 3