“I see your pain, summoner, and feel it like it’s my own,” he gently whispers as his eyes bore into mine. “No one as beautiful or delicate as you deserve to be treated that way.”
The compassion blooming on his stone face brings me to tears. His displeasure wasn’t because of my weakness. It was directed at Caulder. His anger on my behalf is vindicating, like a huge weight has been lifted from my chest.
Someone knows and understands.
I feel him probing at my mind again, but this time he doesn’t need to coax me. I open myself to him willingly, and he pours himself inside me, disappearing from sight.
He’s possessing me.
The feeling of him infiltrating my mind is a fullness I could never describe, a high I never want to come down from. He fills me with a sense of calm I’ve never experienced before. All the background noise in my mind—my insecurities, sadness, self-loathing, and loneliness—stop. The feeling of complete tranquility is so foreign to me that it’s uncomfortable at first. Then it turns to a warm, syrupy bliss.
Do you like the way it feels when I’m inside you like this?he asks, a hint of smugness in his voice.The way I possess you and take all of your pain away?
A lazy smile blooms across my face.Yes,I think.
You will never be mistreated again, Ambrose. I’ll make sure of that.I can see his stern expression and glowing gray eyes in my mind. He’s like a god amongst men.
I’ve never encountered this demon before, but I know he is a creature of his word. He’ll protect me.
How do you know my name, and what do I call you?I ask. How can any words accurately describe such a being?
Because you aremine, summoner. From this day forth, we will be bonded together. I am the demon of shadow and darkness. You may call me Ciarán.
He leaves my body, materializing in his corporal form again. His pale skin shines in the moonlight, and his gray eyes are alight with a passion that can only come from one thing—devotion. This demon gazes at me as if I’m a treasure, someone worthy of cherishing. I’ve never had someone look at me this way before, and the feeling is intoxicating.
He lifts me from my prostrate position at his feet, seating me on the crypt behind me. Parting my trembling legs, he steps between them and places his hands on my knees.
“I’m going to protect you. You will never know pain or suffering again. You’re mine, Ambrose Stone. My summoner. Tell me you’re mine.”
“I’m yours,” I whisper.
He tips my chin up, giving me the perfect view of his face. The illumination from the moonlight behind him makes him look like a dark angel who fell to earth just to protect me.
“Say it again.Louder. Who do you belong to? I want to hear the voice that summoned me out of the darkness.” His full lips tilt into a devious smile. I love the way he smiles at me.
“I’m yours. I belong to you, only you.” His hands run further up my thighs, so close to my aching dick. I lick my bottom lip without thought. I want to taste him.
As if he read my mind, he takes my jaw in his hand and bends down until our lips are only centimeters apart. His grip is firm, but gentle.
“Once I kiss you, our bond is sealed, summoner. I will always be with you. I won’t share you. The minute you kiss me, I’ll find Caulder and end his life for what he did to you. Every single person who mistreated you will experience excruciating agony. Nod if you understand me.”
Without a second thought, I nod. I want Caulder to suffer. I want my revenge.
Our lips meet in a clash of tongues and passion. He collars my throat with his massive hand, tilting my face slightly to the side. His tongue dominates my mouth, eliciting a soft whimper from deep within me as he lightly squeezes the sides of my neck.
I smooth my hands down his pecs, over his sculpted abs. They feel like marble under my touch. I ghost one down to the shadows that cover him, and he takes my hand in his.
“Not here. I want to corrupt your pure, light soul in a private place. A place where you can scream as loudly as you want while I bring you into the darkness.”
His words make me feel owned.Desired.
If being with him is straying from the light, I’ll follow him blindly. For he is the darkness…and in the dark is where I thrive.
4
CIARÁN
For years, I watched Ambrose Stone as he took shortcuts through the forest. The highlight of my day was seeing the beautiful young man with blond hair, pale lips, long legs, and a downcast face. Not once has he ever looked happy or smiled. He never had company to walk with him. I knew there was darkness in his life. He reminded me of a fallen angel plucked from Heaven, cast down to earth to suffer for eternity.
