“Az...” She lifts the necklace from its cushion. “It's extraordinary.”
“Do you like it?” I lean forward, studying her reaction.
“It's beautiful.” Her voice is soft, measured. She carefully sets the necklace back in its box. “Thank you.”
I frown. This isn't the reaction I wanted to see. “You don't seem pleased, little fairy.”
“I am.” She pauses, smoothing her napkin across her lap. “It's just...”
“Just what?”
Simone takes a deep breath, pushing her plate aside to lean her elbows on the table. “You've given me so much, Az. The manor, the clothes, the jewelry… more luxury than anyone could dream of.”
“And that bothers you?” I'm genuinely puzzled. Mortals crave wealth, power, status. I've watched them kill for far less than what I've given her.
“What bothers me is that none of it means anything to you.” Her eyes hold mine, unwavering. “These things… they're just objects you can conjure with a thought, right? They don't tell me anything about you.”
I lean back in my chair, considering her words. “What would you prefer?”
“Something that matters to you. Something with history. With meaning.” She reaches across the table, hesitantly taking my hand. “I want to know you, Az. The real you.”
My chest constricts. If she knew the real me—Asmodai, Archdemon of Lust, a ruler of Hell, the creator of countless sex demons—she'd run screaming. Or try to. I’d never let her. But the thought of her fear directed at me is unbearable.
“You want to know me?” I rise from my chair, circling the table until I stand beside her. “Then know this.”
I pull her to her feet, one hand tangling in her hair as I claim her mouth. She tastes of sherry and desire, her body melting against mine as I deepen the kiss. When we break apart, her pupils have dilated, nearly swallowing the gray of her irises.
“I feed on you,” I murmur against her lips. “Only you, for months now. No orgies, no random partners, no nameless bodies to satisfy my hunger.” My fingers trail down her neck, feeling her pulse jump beneath my touch. “Just you, Simone. Only you.”
Her breath hitches, her brow furrowing. “Feed… what? What does that mean?”
“It means you've done what no one in thousands of years has managed.” I slide my hands down her sides, gripping her hips. “You've made me want monogamy.”
A startled laugh escapes her. “That's your romantic confession? That you're not fucking other people?”
“For me? Yes.” I kiss the corner of her mouth. “It's unprecedented.”
With one swift movement, I sweep the dishes from the table, sending crystal and china crashing to the floor. Simone gasps, but her eyes darken with lust as I lift her onto the polished mahogany.
“What are you doing?” she asks, though the way she spreads her legs to accommodate me between them suggests she knows exactly what I'm doing.
“Giving you something meaningful.” I push her dress up her thighs, revealing the lace panties beneath. “Me.”
Her fingers fumble with the buttons of my shirt. “The food?—”
“Fuck the food.” I rip her panties off with one sharp tug. “I want to feast on you instead.”
She shivers, and I feel her arousal spike, filling the air with that intoxicating scent that's uniquely hers. I could drown in it.
“Yes,” she breathes, arching into my touch.
I push her back until she's lying across the table, candlelight gilding her skin. “Look at you,” I growl, spreading her thighs wider. “Wet and ready on our dinner table. My perfect little fairy.”
Her chest rises and falls rapidly, her dress bunched around her waist. “Az, please.”
“Please, what?” I trace a finger through her folds, collecting her slickness. “Tell me what you want, Simone.”
“I want you inside me.”
