“Not yet,” he grinds out, pausing inside me, every muscle taught as he holds himself still. My body undulates beneath him. He leans his heavy weight on me, flattening me to the table as he kisses along my neck. My heart flutters in my chest, a wild, violent beat that threatens to consume me. I tighten my legs and spur up, sinking my teeth into his shoulder. He grabs the back of my head and holds me to him. “Deeper,” he grits out as he shudders. No claiming, I remind myself. I release his shoulder and use his moment of weakness to flip us, so I’m straddling him. I arch and stretch my wings, each one brushing against a male.
Archan’s eyes widen in shock. I doubt I would have been able to make that move if I hadn’t distracted him. My skin feels tight under my torn pants. I lean back, tear my boots off, then lose my leathers, leaving me gloriously naked under his heated gaze. My hands land on his thighs and I begin a torturous pace. His hands find my hips, encouraging me to go faster, to climb that mountain. I grab his hands, tangling our fingers together and slamming them down at the sides of his face. My wings skim flesh, drawing my gaze to the men surrounding us, the lust deep in their eyes skating over my body. The scandalous nature of what we are doing makes me feel dangerous.
“You are magnificent,” Jed says, running a hand over one of my wings. The wing responds, rubbing against his bare muscled chest. When did he lose his top?
Archan bucks up, drawing my attention back to him. “Eyes,” he growls as a whoosh of air rushes around us. The candles lose their battle and the chandeliers die, plunging us into darkness. Pressure clamps over my nipples, I try to pull away, but our tangled hands keep me in place.
“Archan,” I say, his name a supplication, a petition for mercy.
“Breathe.”
What feels like a heated hand skims my spine, pushing me down further. The fingers find my ass, the protest forming on my lips. “It’s still me,” Archan says, kissing my lips. I tighten my hands against his in confusion as the hot phantom touch plays around our joined bodies, gathering the wetness and dragging it back to my ass. The forbidden sensation has me squirming until the pressure builds around my hole and then blazing heat pushes in. My breath catches, making my back arch as the searing pleasure sweeps through me. The pressure on my nipples increases before snapping off and releasing me. I scream his name as Archan powers into me, drawing the pleasure out to every extremity. He finishes with a grunt of pleasure, the candles flaring back to life. Curses of males around us garner my attention; Zac’s eyes catch mine as I lay my head on Archan’s shoulder. He grits his teeth as I glance down. He throws his head back, slams his hand on the stone altar and collapses to his knees. I look at the head of the table. Lucifer follows seconds later, but not before I glimpse something shiny in his hand. Is he pierced? Down there?
Archan runs a hand through my hair and turns my head to him. Galaxies gaze back at me, his soul peeking out to examine my own. I’m in awe of this magnificent man underneath me, a man that has claimed me as his own.
“Here,” Lucifer says, dumping a bundle of fabric on the altar next to my head. “For god’s sake, cover yourself before everyone opts for round two.”
I sigh and lean my forehead against Archan’s. “What happens in Hell stays in Hell, right?”
He kisses the tip of my nose. “Absolutely.”
He gives my ass a squeeze, then grips it and lifts me off him. I scramble back off the table and land on the floor. Everyone else is turned around, examining the curtained walls, Duncan and Emi amongst them.
I grab the first piece of clothing and ribbons of soft white fabric flutter down. I turn it around with a frown. “I think it’s broken.”
Archan huffs a laugh and grabs the garment, looping it over my head, then crosses the material over my breasts and around my back beneath my wings. “Those new appendages of yours need room to breathe, unless you want to be stripping naked or ruining your clothing every time.” He feeds the material back to my stomach and loops it in a knot before gripping my chin.
“Thank you,” I breathe as I fall into hypotonic gold orbs.
“This will not be an easy journey. There may be times ahead when I need you to trust me without question. Can you do that?”
This man rules my heart, he commands my body, and owns my soul. I would follow him to the edges of the universe and beyond. His eyes soften around the edges and he smiles. “I trust you,” I say. “But it works both ways. Trust me in return.” I pull on the panties and new pants, realizing I’m costing Lucifer a fortune in leather.
Archan grasps my face between his hands. “I might understand your decisions, but it’s going to take a long time until I can forgive your actions.”
I scowl. “I’m not going back over this. I saved you and gave the world what it needed. I won’t keep apologizing when, if placed in that situation again, I would choose to save you. I will always choose you. Every. Single. Time.”
He sighs and leans his forehead against mine. “I know. Which is why I will always question your motives. You fooled some of the oldest beings alive. No one believed you would take that sacrifice. Not for me, not for anyone. That selflessness is rare, and I won’t attempt to change your core. You are everything that is light and good in this world.”
“Which makes me unworthy of your trust?”
“There is nothing and no one you aren’t worthy of, Natia. And that scares me, because you could have anyone, but for some unfathomable reason, you have chosen me. I won’t squander that gift by being blind to your self-sacrificing nature. I’m not asking for apologies, all I ask is that you talk to me. Discuss your thoughts, plans, and ideas. You need to take me with you on your quests. You dared me to dream of a better life, one with meaning and compassion. Every moment with you that dream gets louder, it echoes throughout the dimensions and surpasses the time I have spent alone. I won’t return to that again.”
“Careful,” I murmur against his lips. “That almost sounds like a declaration of love.”
The smirk that pulls at his lips is pure wicked sin. “That’s reserved for mates,” he says with a wink.
I chuckle. “Are you trying to bribe me into marrying you?”
He shrugs. “Whatever works.”
“You’re a monster.”
“Wrong, I’m your monster.”
“You don’t play fair.”
“Never claimed otherwise.”
