Demon Retribution (Shadow Quest Book 3) (25 page)

Ignoring the threat,
Ethanule said, “You must have wanted a bed partner at
some
point. Demons don’t
value things like virtue and virginity. Your kind are infamously
insatiable.”

She snorted. “Even if I did, who would risk
their lives for a lay? And those who didn’t fear my family—not that
there were many—never showed an interest.”

He seemed to digest this. “You’ve pleasured
yourself though.”

A burning entered her cheeks. Words died in
her throat.

“I’ll take that as a yes. You were too
responsive not to have.”

That did it! She bumped her midsection out,
meant as a warning, but he tightened his grip and fit his crotch
between the crease of her backside.

“Give me another chance,” he rasped.

“What?”

“The way we left things, your expression...”
He trailed off.

“And you what? Want a redo?” Her laugh came
out harsh.

“I want to taste you,” he said. “To feel
your flesh give way under mine and see rapture on your face as I
make you come in my arms. To use your body and teach you to use
mine until we are both too sore to walk.”

His speech made her blood rush, and again
she was rendered speechless.

His voice lowered to a husky tone. “Don’t
you want me to show you how good it can be?”

Images of tangled sweaty flesh flashed in
her mind. She gulped, knowing what a terrible idea this was, yet
found herself nodding.

He released her and backed
away as if she would attack. She
should
attack. She shouldn’t actually
be contemplating what he offered. But when he’d taken her that
first time, he unleashed something in her that was proving
difficult to restrain. Now it was all she could do not to throw
herself at him and rip his clothes to shreds so she could get to
the hard flesh that lay beneath.

He watched her warily, waiting.

She took a moment to look him over, giving
herself time to clear her thoughts. His clothes were different than
usual. A loose tan shirt hung over his torso and dark trousers
hugged his waist. The only embellishments were a single thick gold
earring close to the point of his ear and the haphazard beaded
braids that peeked out from under his white-blond hair.

She surprised herself by saying, “Take off
your shirt.”

He didn’t hesitate, shrugging the fabric off
and tossing it away. The planes of his chest looked smooth and
molded to perfection.

He studied her in a similar fashion, his
eyes hooded and darkening to that deep blue she’d only seen a
couple times before.

She gripped the wall at her back, looking
for something stable to cling to. Her breathing took on a new kind
of rhythm, and her skin prickled with awareness.

Ethan stood patiently, giving her the time
she needed. What he must see on her face, she couldn’t imagine. Her
body wanted this. That was for sure. Every nuance was jolting to
life. Then her fangs descended, and she hesitated once more,
pursing her lips tight. She eyed Ethan for his response, but he
appeared undeterred, though he knew what it meant.

She forced the thought from her mind. It
cannot be. Not him. Surely there was another for her. Someone more
fitting.

He took a step forward, sensing her inner
turmoil. “You won’t bite me,” he said with confidence.

“Never,” she tried to sneer, but it came out
far too breathy. He closed in, his movements slow as if approaching
a wild animal, and his scent enveloped her, clouding her mind.

Inches away, he whispered, “Tell me you want
this.”

“Gods, yes,” she blurted.

Their lips collided, leeching what was left
of her resistance. His hands went to the ties of her bodice and
hurriedly pulled at the strings. She kicked off her shoes and then
fumbled with the clasp of his trousers. Her skirt came next,
leaving her in only panties.

He pulled back to gaze down at her body. She
lifted her chin, trying to read his expression. Did he like what he
saw? This self-conscious feeling was foreign, and it angered
her.

He palmed one breast, rubbing his thumb over
her nipple. Her eyes closed as the sensation overcame her. She
leaned against the wall again for support.

She stifled a whimper when he leaned down to
take the bud into his mouth. Her skin was on fire, her heart
pounding. With measured intent, his palms smoothed to the underside
of her breasts, down her stomach.

She didn’t know what to do with her hands.
More than anything, she wished there was something to hold onto
besides him. She felt unstable on her feet. His lips followed the
path of his fingers, and she froze. Watching him descend, her body
began to shake.

At her hips, he slipped his thumbs under the
waistline of her panties. He paused to look up at her then.

For what?

What is she supposed to do?

He grinned wickedly. Down went the fabric.
The cold air touched her just before his tongue did.

She cried out. A quake rippled through her,
and she cried out a second time. If not for the wall, her ass would
have hit the floor. This was madness! How could this feel so good?
He laved her relentlessly, not knowing the fevered torment he was
causing. Or perhaps he did. He swept through her tender flesh as
though he were finding just as much pleasure in the task, savoring
her as though she were a delicacy.

Her body quivered fiercely. “Ethan, I’m
going to fall,” she managed through haggard breath.

“Lie down,” he ordered. His tone was so
rough it no longer sounded like him.

She obeyed without thinking, sinking to the
floor. He maneuvered between her legs, gripping her thighs, and
continued his assault. Her heart thumped faster, her breath coming
in gasps. She couldn’t think past what he was doing. Soon, she
began to shake again and her claws dug at the ground. With a cry,
ecstasy exploded, taking her vision.

After a moment, Ethan sat back, expression
triumphant. She still couldn’t move, reduced to a panting, puddled
mess on the floor. But she couldn’t bring herself to care. A smile
crawled across her lips. She couldn’t prevent it. That is until she
remembered her fangs were out. For whatever reason, Ethan didn’t
seem put off by them. In fact, he looked as though he wasn’t
finished with her.

Sitting up, she asked, “What next?”

He grinned at her enthusiasm, then demanded,
“On the bed.”

Normally his bossy attitude would have
grated, but at the moment it was strangely appealing. She stood and
walked to the bed.

Surprising her from behind, he grabbed her
waist, keeping her from crawling onto the mattress as he cupped her
breasts, teasing her already sensitive nipples. She moaned.

His shaft breached the apex of her legs,
sliding easily with the help of her dampness. She jumped at the
feel, growing slicker still. Slowly, he slid back and forth, not
entering, but stimulating them both.

“Bend over,” he said.

She gulped. At length her palms moved to the
mattress, leaving her in a vulnerable yet titillating position.

Her sudden nervousness must have been
evident because he offered, “If I hurt you, tell me and I’ll
stop.”

“Alright.”

The tip of his erection brushed her center
and she recoiled, remembering their first time. This was different
though. He pressed in with slow control, inching forward and giving
her time to get use to his girth.

“You okay?” he asked, tone like gravel.

“I’m good,” she assured. “It feels…” She
couldn’t come up with a word. “Okay, I guess?”

“Are you trying to wound my confidence?”

She laughed. “Is that even possible?”

He gave a sharp pump of his hips, and she
gasped as a spike of pleasure shot through her. “No,” he said and
then moved again, silencing whatever retort she was about to spit
out, replacing it with a soft moan. Once more he pumped his hips,
filling her and making her whimper.

As he pushed forward again, her hips pushed
back. He made a sound of approval and gripped her waist to increase
the speed.

A steady rhythm developed, and soon she was
panting with fervor as he ground into her with increasing force.
But it was good, and with each thrust it seemed to get better,
until she forgot herself entirely, forgot him, surrendering to the
moment. She cried out as a wave of pleasure overcame her, bursting
into a million pieces. Ethan groaned as his release came on the
heel of hers. After a few heartbeats, he pulled out of her and they
dragged themselves onto the bed.

She reached for something to cover
herself.

“No, don’t,” he said, and she paused. “May I
look at you a little longer?”

She chewed her lip, feeling a bit skittish.
Her fangs had yet to recede, and she felt exposed in a way that had
nothing to do with her lack of clothing. “Only because you asked so
nicely.”

“Oh, I get really nice after sex.”

“Is that so?”

“Damn near saintly.”

She snorted and leaned back on the mattress.
Her body was both relaxed and deliciously sore. He lay on his side,
his head propped on his palm, shamelessly drinking her in. After a
moment she had to concede, “That was so much better than
before.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Was he really not worried about her claiming
him? Marik had claimed Nadua without permission, but that had been
entirely by accident. Marik was still guilt-ridden over it. If he’d
been back on their home planet, he could have been sentenced to
death for it. It was considered dishonorable and abhorred to do
such a thing. Ethan seemed to be aware of that, and not for the
first time she was amazed at how knowledgeable he was about her
culture.

“How do you know so much about demons?”

He shrugged. “I spent some time with a group
of renegade demons before I met up with the Denaloids. They found
me amusing.”

At this she grew curious. Coming across
other demons was a rare occurrence. “Do you know where they
are?”

He frowned at her. “No. We separated long
ago.”

“Are you able to contact them?”

“We didn’t exactly promise to keep in touch
upon parting.”

Damn, any extra help would have been
welcome.

“Eager for your own kind?” he asked. From
his tone, she couldn’t decipher his mood.

“Well, sure, but I was thinking to recruit
them.”

He took a moment to respond. “I have a few
channels of communication that may reach them. I can attempt a
message. No guarantees.”

“By channels, you mean network of pirates.”
Her voice revealed her disgust.

His lips thinned. “Indeed. Now I’ve answered
your question, perhaps you will answer mine.”

She waited.

“What do you have against pirates?”

Silence reigned.

“Were you harmed in some way by one?”

She wasn’t ready to delve into that
particular topic, still struggling with the idea that she had let a
man like Ethan touch her in ways no one else had. She was still
reeling from it, her body thrumming with aftershocks. She didn’t
want to think about his past—or hers, for that matter—but she
couldn’t seem to stop herself. Briefly, she wondered if Ethan had
killed with the same cold carelessness as other pirates would. Had
he ripped apart families with a swing of his sword and a smile on
his face?

She suddenly felt weary and rolled off the
bed. “I need to wash up.” She paused. “You should too, before you
leave. Unless you think you could fend off my rabid brothers.”

He gave her a questioning look.

“My scent is all over you,” she
explained.

His lips curled into a sexy grin. “Then by
all means, let’s wash up.”

For the next few days, Kyra
and Zoey worked to become acquainted with their new
surroundings.
Marada
was large, to say the least, and full of amenities as if it
were meant as some kind of luxury ocean liner rather than a battle
ship.

Sonya explained that she and her bothers had
stolen it from a Kayadon noble in order to escape the devastation
of their home planet. Sonya also added, with her chin up, that they
wouldn’t have run like cowards if their mother and Cale’s mate
hadn’t conspired against them, slipping the boys a drug that
rendered them too weak to fight.

Kyra seized on the part about “Cale’s mate,”
hardly hearing anything after. Anya and Nadua were educating her on
the significance of the mate bond. It was considered sacred to the
demons and thought to be unbreakable.

Once a demon mated, it was for life.

Kyra swallowed hard and asked if their mates
might take a mistress, for whatever reason. Not that she was
signing up to be one. The answer was an emphatic “no,” demonstrated
by Nadua pulling out a thin dagger and stating that she would cut
off a certain demon’s member if that were so.