“I love you, Cinder, with every fiber of my being. For my entire existence, I have felt like a piece of me was missing, and now I know why. I’ve waited millennia to find you, and I will never let you go.”
The conviction in his voice made me believe him, if only for a moment. He and his brothers had to return to Hell if we were going to mend the veil. We had been tasked with saving the realms, and our soulmates would be ripped from our arms in order for us to succeed.
Collateral damage, I suppose.
But I had him here…now…and he was right. We should make the most of our time together.
“I love you too,” I said. “Now and forever.”
“Forever.” He scooped me into his arms and laid me on the bed, covering my body with his.
He kissed me again, softer this time, as if he were cherishing me, and my chest ached at his tenderness. With his weight on one arm, he worked my shirt over my head, and I unclasped my bra.
Rising to his knees, he tossed my clothing aside and took off his shirt. Then he removed the rest of our clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor. His pupils dilated as his gaze wandered over my body, and moisture beaded on the tip of his dick.
I swiped it with my fingers, and he sucked in a sharp breath, watching me as I brought it to my lips and flicked out my tongue to taste it. He rewarded me with a primal moan, and he stroked himself three times before lying on top of me again.
“You’re so beautiful.” His husky voice tickled my ear, hardening my nipples. His skin was soft, his body firm, and he smelled like campfire and musk. “I need you, Cinder.”
I spread my legs, reaching between us to guide his dick to my folds. He slid in slowly, fully, a pleasant ache spreading through my pelvis as he filled me, and I wrapped my arms around him, holding him as if he’d disappear if I let go.
We lay still for a moment, me clutching his shoulders, him nuzzling into my neck, both of us breathing deeply and basking in the sensation of becoming one. This man…this demon…was my soulmate. I was created for him to hold, to love, and the weight of that knowledge both enraptured and terrified me.
How would I live without him?
He moved, hooking his arms beneath my shoulders and sliding out and in slowly, smoothly, rhythmically. A wonderful tingling sensation spread through my abdomen and down my legs, and I wrapped them around his hips, taking him in deeper.
He groaned, thrusting harder, and I gasped, the tingling turning to electricity and rocketing through my entire body. I moaned, and he rose onto his hands.
“You make the most beautiful sounds when I pleasure you,” he said, his voice thick with need. “I love it.” He thrust hard, again, and again, watching me with a passion-drunk smile on his lips.
His movements, his scent, the expression of adoration in his eyes… I couldn’t hold on any longer. The orgasm ripped through me, flooding my system with ecstasy, and I cried out his name.
“Cinder,” he growled in the most possessive way imaginable, heightening my climax, setting every nerve in my body ablaze.
His pace quickened, and his breathing grew shallow, but he held my gaze, watching me ride the wave as he found his release. We moaned in unison, and he collapsed on top of me, holding me as if he were making good on his promise to never let me go.
15
CINDER
Discord and I held each other for the rest of our hour of respite. He lay on his back, his strong, protective arms wrapped around me like a bulletproof vest, and I snuggled into his side, my head on his shoulder, my leg draped across his. I did my best to commit the feeling to memory: his skin soft and warm against mine, hard sinew beneath.
I laid my hand on his chest and closed my eyes, focusing on the slow rise and fall and the rhythm of his heartbeats. For a fleeting moment, all felt right in the world, and I wanted nothing more than to freeze time and stay right there forever.
But my dad was still trapped in Hell, the veil was still unraveling, and on top of all that—as if it wasn’t enough of a clusterfudge—the tourists had begun to descend on Salem. Inside our house, it was peaceful, quiet. But it was a false peace. One I had no choice but to break.
I inhaled deeply and lifted my head. “I suppose we should go save the world now.”
“Hmm…” His chest vibrated with the sound, and he tightened his arms around me. “I grow weary of such responsibilities.”
“You and me both.” I laughed and wiggled out of his embrace, immediately missing his touch as I stood. “But we broke the veil, so we have to fix it.”
He rolled to his side, propping his head on his hand. “Technically?—”
“Nope.” I wagged a finger at him. “No demonsplaining. It’s our responsibility to mend it. Period. Now, get dressed.”
“Anything for you, my love.” He crawled out of bed and did as I asked, covering his scrumptious body with borrowed clothes.
