Egon headed off, and I took in the massive room we’d walked into. I never thought I’d ever step foot in Limbo, or I fucking hoped I wouldn’t, not the way a hound would usually end up here, let alone come to Death’s castle.
Zinny cheerfully carried on, leading us up a wide staircase and along a dark hall with walls that seemed to whisper and move.
Roxy’s room was right beside mine, and when I shut my door, I could hear Zinnia and Roxy talking through the wall—well, not what they were saying, just their muffled voices.
Roxy laughed, and before I knew what I was doing, I’d stepped closer to the wall separating us and had pressed my ear to it.
I jerked back. The fuck?
What was wrong with me? I was starting to get seriously worried.
Ignoring the beast who wanted me to stay right where I was, cheek pressed to the fucking wall, I strode to the bathroom and stripped off. I didn’t understand any of this. The beast being at odds with me, not feeling like part of me, was messing me up big-time. We weren’t two separate entities. I was the beast, and the beast was me—or that’s how it had been. How was this even possible, this separation? Why was it happening now?
I gripped the edge of the bathroom counter and stared into my own eyes. They flashed red without me even sensing it, as if my beast was looking back at me and he was pissed. I knew what he wanted. To get closer to Roxy. If Roxy told me to drop to my knees, I had a feeling he’d force me to do that as well.
The beast was acting as if…as if Roxy was something more to me—to him. Fuck. How was there a him?
I rubbed my hands over my face. I’d know if there was more between me and Rox, if there was a…a special connection. My brothers told me how it felt when they found their females, and this wasn’t it.
I stepped into the shower, and the cool water felt good on my overheated skin. Okay, yes, Jagger missed the signs for a while there, but that was different. There were reasons for that. I’d known Roxy for centuries, if there was anything more between us—the kind predestined by fate, because I couldn’t even bring myself to think the word—I would have worked it out a long time ago. Her scent sure as fuck wouldn’t repel me or, on the odd occasion, make my skin crawl when she was too close for too long.
The water ran down my chest, and I dipped my head under the stream. I lathered up, rinsed off, and—what the actual fuck?—I couldn’t help wondering if Roxy was doing the same thing.
Images of her naked and soaping up were quickly followed by ones of her bare skin covered in blood, the way I’d seen her in Skull Forest right after she’d taken out those demons. She’d looked wild. Shit, she’d been spectacular like that—vicious, ruthless, a fierce little warrior. I squeezed my eyes closed. I shouldn’t be thinking about her like that. It wasn’t right.
None of this made sense, but I’d gotten hard for her, more times than I could count since we took off on this hunt for Beelzebub.
Seeing her mutilate a group of demons naked wasn’t the only thing that had happened in that forest though. I’d locked it away, right after it happened, because, motherfucker, it had been exquisite torture—and it had been messed up for me to enjoy what happened as much as I had.
A groan slipped free as the memory pushed forward, of Roxy, all warm and sleepy, crawling on top of me while I lay by the campfire, of her soft moans as she’d rocked her hips, fucking riding my thigh in her sleep.
I shook my head, trying to shake the memory loose, but it was no good, and before I realized what I was doing, my hand had slid down my chest, over my stomach, and was gliding up my rock-hard cock.
A growl slipped from me, and I slapped my other hand to the marble wall and squeezed my dick more firmly. She’d been so hot; the smell of her slick pussy had covered her usual offensive scent and I’d lain there fucking mesmerized as she’d gotten herself off. I acted like it didn’t affect me, as if I’d barely noticed when Rox had woken up, teasing her. I’d lied.
While she’d rocked against me, I’d imagined freeing my aching dick, shoving down her pants, and letting her hot little pussy take what it needed. I’d actually contemplated waking her up and offering her my cock instead of my thigh.
I groaned again, my strokes quickening even as I tried to force the images of Roxy out of my head. It was impossible, though, especially when the beast took over, feeding me more scenarios, ones where I tossed her onto all fours and fucked her from behind in front of that fire, ones where I buried my face in her pussy and used my beast’s tongue on her until she came, shaking and screaming.
I leaned forward, resting my forehead on the cool marble, hissing through my teeth as my cock throbbed like never before. It felt tight, molten hot, like it was confined, like it was being strangled—like there was something more I needed, badly, but it was just out of reach. Still, I couldn’t stop stroking, my hips thrusting into my fist. It was agony and bliss all at once.
When I finally blew, spurting all over the wall like a high-pressure fucking hose, I had to lock my knees. The release was so great that as soon as I was spent, they did give out, and there was no stopping it. I hit the floor, then fell forward on my hands and knees, panting, struggling to catch my breath. I actually looked down at my spent cock dangling between my legs to make sure it hadn’t been rent in two from the force of whatever the fuck had just happened.
I stayed where I was, needing far longer to recover than I should. Finally, when I was able to, I dragged my ass out of the shower, slung a towel around my hips, and walked back into the room—and pulled up short when I found Roxy sitting on my bed, scrolling on her phone.
Had she heard me? How much noise had I made? I had no fucking clue. I felt as if I’d fucking blacked out, honestly.
She glanced up from her phone, a wide smile on her face, like the old Roxy, not the attitude-filled version she’d been giving me for a while now. “Egon brought up our trays. I thought we could discuss our game plan for tomorrow while we eat.” She jumped off the bed and strode over to the small table now covered in food. “You know, since you got all pissed at me for ‘keeping secrets,’” she said, making air quotes.
Her hair was damp. She’d showered as well. I swallowed thickly and nodded, struggling to find my voice. It felt rough as hell after the way I’d just gotten off. Had I been growling? Shit, had I said her name when I’d come all over the shower wall?
Swiping a pair of jeans from my bag, I turned my back on her, dropped my towel, and shoved them on. Hounds didn’t hide their nudity, and Roxy had seen me naked more times than I could count, but in a room like this, just the two of us, it was bad manners to flash your dick at someone. And after what had just happened and where my mind went while it was happening, I was worried I’d get hard again—and that was most definitely bad manners.
I did up my pants and joined her at the table, taking in the spread. “Looks good,” I said, finally managing fucking words, then lifted my gaze, searching her face for any sign that she’d heard me beating off to thoughts of her.
She popped a piece of cheese in her mouth, that sweet smile with zero calculation or hint of teasing still on her face. “Egon knows I have a big appetite,” she said.
What she said could have a double meaning, but there was nothing sly or knowing in her delivery either. She couldn’t have heard anything. She’d give me shit if she had. I was sure of it.
