I could feel it, the fluttering of her inner walls around me, the tension building in her thighs where they gripped my waist. My full demon form struggled to break free fully, my back itching where wings wanted to emerge, my face shifting slightly toward something less human.
"Come for me," I commanded, snaking one hand between us to circle her clit with my thumb. "Let me feel you."
She shattered with a scream of my name, her body clenching around me in waves so intense I nearly followed her over the edge. Only the need to keep pleasuring her kept me from finishing as I worked her through the climax, continuing to thrust as she convulsed around me.
Before she'd fully recovered, I pulled out and flipped her onto her hands and knees. She gasped in surprise but immediately pushed back against me, wiggling her hips in clear invitation. I growled my approval, taking a moment to admire the view, I slid back into her welcoming heat with a groan. When I brought one hand down on her ass in a sharp spank, the surprised moan she let out told me everything I needed to know.
"You like that?" I asked, repeating the action on her other cheek.
"Yes," she admitted, her voice muffled where her face pressed against the mattress. "God, yes."
I alternated between spanks and caresses, the sight of my marks on her, combined with the exquisite friction of her body gripping mine, pushed me toward the edge I'd been fighting. When she came again, her body clamping down on me like avise, I finally let go. My release tearing a roar from my throat that was pure demon as I emptied myself deep inside her. I collapsed beside her, gathering her still-trembling body against my chest. Our hearts raced in near-perfect synchrony as we struggled to catch our breath. I buried my face in her hair, inhaling deeply, committing her scent to memory.
Mine. Finally mine.
Jade lay sprawled across my sheets like a renaissance painting come to life, all soft curves and warm colors against the dark fabric. Her chest rose and fell with the deep, even breaths of satisfaction, her skin still flushed and gleaming with a fine sheen of sweat. My demon instincts purred with contentment, pleased at the sight of my mate so thoroughly claimed and sated. I traced one finger lightly along her shoulder, marveling at how fate had finally given me such a gift. A strand of blonde hair had fallen across her cheek. I brushed it back gently, tucking it behind her ear.
Her stomach gave a small, almost imperceptible growl, and I suddenly remembered we'd never actually eaten the food at the rooftop lounge. She needed sustenance and providing for her felt like the most natural thing in the world. I carefully disentangled myself from her limbs, she murmured something incoherent and rolled into the warm spot I'd vacated, burying her face in my pillow. The sight of her there, surrounded by my scent, sent another wave of possessiveness through me.
"Stay," I whispered, pulling the sheet up to cover her nakedness. "I'll cook something. You need to eat."
She made a soft sound that might have been agreement, her eyes remaining closed. I allowed myself one more moment to admire her before forcing myself to leave the bedroom.
My kitchen was state of the art but rarely used for anything more elaborate than coffee. I didn't need to eat as frequently ashumans did, but I kept food on hand for appearances and now, for her.
As I worked, chopping vegetables and heating oil in a pan, my mind circled back to the events of the evening. How quickly she had trusted me. How readily she had accepted what I was, what I needed. Most humans, even those who thought themselves open-minded about demons, still held reservations. A hesitation before touch. A flinch at the first glimpse of claws or fangs. But not Jade. She had looked at me and chosen me anyway.
The Moirai had delivered beyond my wildest expectations. Not just a physical match, but someone who saw past the monster to the man beneath. Someone who matched my intensity rather than feared it.
I was so absorbed in these thoughts that I almost missed the shift in the air, a subtle change in scent. I turned from the stove just as Jade appeared in the doorway, and the sight knocked the breath from my lungs.
She wore my shirt.
Just my shirt.
The white fabric hung nearly to her knees, the sleeves rolled up multiple times to free her hands. The collar gaped around her neck, revealing the marks I'd left earlier. Her hair was tousled from our activities, her face free of makeup, her eyes sleep-warm and soft. I abandoned the cooking without a second thought, crossing the kitchen in three long strides to stand before her. One large hand cupped her face while the other settled on her hip, feeling her warmth through the thin fabric.
"You should be resting," I murmured.
"I woke up alone," she replied, a small smile playing at her lips. "Came looking for you."
I bent to press my lips against hers. "I told you to stay in bed, sweetheart."
"I'm not very good at following orders." Her smile widened as she pressed herself closer, her hands coming to rest against my bare chest.
Her fingers traced one of the larger marks, a jagged line that ran from my collarbone to just above my heart, the remnant of a binding sigil that had once allowed a particularly cruel warlock to stop my heart at will.
Her touch was curious but careful, fingertips following the raised tissue with a gentleness that made my throat tighten.
"These are old," she observed quietly, her eyes tracking the patterns across my skin. The unspoken question hung in the air between us.
Panic scraped at my mind, the scars were a record of years of abuse and captivity, each one with its own story of pain and humiliation. I'd never spoken of them in detail to anyone. Never allowed anyone close enough to ask. But she didn't push, just continued her gentle exploration, her eyes occasionally meeting mine with a warmth that made something in my chest crack open.
"I'll tell you about them," I promised. "Soon. Not all at once, but...I want you to know me." I swallowed hard, surprised by my own admission. "All of me."
She nodded, accepting my timeline without argument. "I'd like that."
Relief washed through me, the hand that had been cupping her face slid to the back of her neck, thumb stroking the soft skin beneath her ear.
