Ruby Shadows (24 page)

“
Yes, I felt it,” I
whispered. Then I thought of something. “But why…why didn’t it, uh,
give way the
first
time I came?”

“
Because you were
touching
yourself
, bringing
yourself
pleasure—I had nothing to do with your first
orgasm. Well, not much.” He smiled modestly. “Do you know what that
means, Gwendolyn?”

“
What?” I asked,
frowning.

“
You now have definitive
proof that touching yourself is no sin. You may indulge in it as
much as you like without fear or shame.”

I forgot my guilt for a moment and looked at
him in wonder.

“
Is
that
why you wanted me to touch
myself? Really?”

“
That and I wanted you to
know you could bring yourself pleasure.” He looked sad for a
moment. “I will not always be with you to help you. I imagine after
our little quest is said and done you will wish to be rid of me and
go back to your mortal existence.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Was he
saying he wanted some kind of long term relationship with me? But
how could that be?

It can’t,
whispered that little voice in my head.
He’s a demon, remember? And you can’t form a soul
bond with a creature that has no soul.

Laish saved me from the awkward moment by
drawing me close to him again and murmuring that we needed to get
some sleep.

“
Do demons sleep?” I
asked, yawning against his chest though I tried not to. Having two
mind-blowing orgasms in a row had tired me out more than I would
have imagined possible.

“
We do not,” he said,
dimming the lights with a wave of his hand. “But it will be my
great pleasure to hold you while you sleep and to guard your
dreams.”

My last thought was that demons are supposed
to be creatures of nightmares, not pleasant dreams. But before I
could say anything, darkness claimed me and I fell asleep.

Chapter
Seventeen

Laish

It was very pleasant to hold my little witch
and feel her relax against me in sleep. I savored every moment of
it, wishing the night was longer.

She was beginning to trust
me, I could tell. If she hadn’t been, she wouldn’t be pressed
against me now, pillowing her head on my chest. Not to mention she
would not have been able to open up to me and allow me to bring her
pleasure and make her come. Gods, she was so innocent in so many
ways—so many
delicious
ways.

I couldn’t help licking my lips for the last
traces of her honey and savoring her warm, feminine flavor. Soon I
hoped to be tasting her juices right from the source. I could just
imagine the pleasure of spreading her thighs wide and going down on
her, opening her pussy with my tongue and lapping her hot little
cunt until she came all over my face the way she had come all over
my fingers.

But that is for another
time…another circle,
I told myself
sternly. I didn’t want to push Gwendolyn too hard or fast. I had
only just earned her trust—I didn’t want to frighten her away
again.

And what of the end of her
quest? What will happen after we succeed in shutting the door and
she wants to return to the Mortal Realm?
a
small voice asked inside me.
Will she
still want anything to do with a demon? Will you really be able to
let her go so easily?

I pushed my doubts away. Of course I would
let her go—I had no choice. And as to whether my little witch
wanted to continue our relationship, such as it was, only time
would tell.

But though I tried to be calm and rational
about it, the thought of losing her stabbed my heart like a cruel
blade. I wished I knew why she affected me so but I was no closer
to figuring it out than I had been before. I only knew that I
wanted her—wanted to keep her safe, wanted to cherish and care for
her always.

I frowned. Such emotions were foreign to me.
Though I did not revel in cruelty and pain as so many of my
associates did, neither did I allow myself to indulge in tenderness
or caring. Lust was my wheelhouse and I knew from long experience
that the more tender emotions did not have to be connected to it in
any way.

Yet, when I held Gwendolyn
in my arms and brought her to the peak, it wasn’t only her desire
that I enjoyed. It was the feeling of her giving herself to
me—
trusting
me.
It made me want to pleasure her again and again…to hold her close
and never let her go. Holding her stirred emotions in my cold heart
I had not felt for an eternity. Not since…

But I did not allow myself to dwell on the
past—there was no point in reliving old pains and sorrows. Instead,
I decided to simply enjoy holding my little witch while I could.
Who knew what the morrow might bring? I had the uneasy feeling that
our journey through Hell would not offer many idyllic moments like
this one. Best to enjoy it while I could.

The night, as I said, was too short. Before
I knew it, a shaft of dull green light that signals morning in
Baator was sliding through the windows—it was time to be getting
up.

Despite knowing that we ought to be on our
way, I wished to hold Gwendolyn just a little longer. To savor the
sweet feeling of her lush body pressed against me, relaxed in
sleep. But a sharp rapping sounded at the door of the suite,
ruining my plans.

The knocking woke Gwendolyn out of a sound
sleep. She opened her eyes and seemed to realize all at once that
she was naked and pressed against me, her lush body draped over my
side. She sat up with a start. “What’s going on? Why am I
naked?”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Do you not
remember last night? The pleasure of having your first orgasm…and
then your second?”

“
Oh, um…” Her cheeks
flushed and she ran a hand through her tousled hair. “I guess I
forgot.”

I gave her a little smile.
“You wound me,
ma petit chat.
I had hoped the experience would be
unforgettable.”

I could tell by the flow of emotions that
ran over her face—embarrassment…lust…shame…fear—that she remembered
well enough now. I wanted to gather her in my arms and reassure her
but I sensed I would not be welcome. Clearly she needed a little
time to process what we had done together the night before.

“
You’d best get up and
take a shower if you want one,” I told her, sliding out of bed
myself. “We need to get on the road but before we can, we have that
tiresome breakfast with Druaga to get through.”

Her lush mouth twisted into a grimace of
distaste.

“
Ugh! Do we
have
to see him again? I
mean, I know he saved me from the devilkins but we’re pretty sure
he set that up himself, right?”

“
Almost one hundred
percent certain,” I said grimly. “But as I cannot prove it, we must
honor the verbal contract we made. Such agreements are binding in
the Infernal Realm.”

“
I just don’t want to have
to sit through a meal with him
leering
at me,” Gwendolyn protested,
covering her breasts with her arms. “It makes me
sick.”

I didn’t like the idea very much myself
which was perhaps why the dress I conjured her to wear was
considerably less revealing than the red silk one she’d had on the
day before. It was lightweight material but it would cover her from
neck to ankles and it didn’t cling to her curves the way the red
one had.

“
Here,” I said, handing it
to her.

“
What about you?” She
gestured at the black silk sleeping trousers I still wore. “When
will you get dressed?”

“
Now.” I snapped my
fingers and immediately I was clothed in a dark grey pinstripe suit
with a deep red tie—one of my favorite outfits from the human
world.

“
How do you
do
that?” Her eyes
widened. “Just make things appear like that?”

“
They are things I already
own. They are back at my estate in Hades and I am simply calling
them to me,” I explained. “I cannot summon things from the human
world, however—not while we are here. Thankfully, my resources here
are not insubstantial.”

“
I guess not.” She frowned
at me. “What about those panties you poofed onto me last
night?”

“
The small white silk
ones?” It made my shaft hard just to remember how wet and open her
sweet little pussy had looked spread out under the white triangle
of silk.

“
Yeah, those.” She was
glaring at me now. “You expect me to believe you just had those
lying around, ready to hand?”

“
Exactly. Just as I have a
number of clothes ready for you that I can conjure to me at will,”
I said mildly. “I prepared thoroughly for this trip,
mon ange.
Why—did you
think I had bought them for another?”

She looked down, still frowning a
little.

“
The thought crossed my
mind.”

“
Banish it then,” I told
her. “And believe me when I tell you I have thought of no one but
you from the first time you summoned me to the mortal
plane.”

“
Really?” She looked up at
me uncertainly.

“
Really,” I assured her—it
was the absolute truth. My little witch consumed me—I just wished I
knew why. “Now, if you’d care to try that gown on—” I began. But at
that point the knocking sounded again, louder and more persistent
than before.

Gwendolyn’s eyes widened. “That must be
him.”

“
Get dressed and come out
when you’re ready,” I told her. “I will keep him in the living area
so you need not fear for your privacy.” I nodded at the dress I’d
given her. “And that should cover far more than the red silk
gown—you need not worry about him ogling you this time.”

Her face softened. “Thank you, Laish. I
appreciate that.”

To my surprise, she stood on her tiptoes and
gave me a swift kiss on the cheek. I liked the brush of her soft
lips against my skin but even more, I liked the fact that she had
kissed me spontaneously, without any coercion. Maybe the trust that
had begun to form last night was still growing? I hoped so.

“
You are welcome,
mon ange.”
I cupped her
cheek, loving the feel of her skin against my palm. “I do not wish
for you to be uncomfortable. And besides,” I added as the knocking
sounded again. “I do not like the thought of another male lusting
over that which is
mine.”

Her eyes widened and then she slapped my
chest lightly.

“
Laish!”

Smiling, I left her in the bedroom and went
to answer the door.

Druaga was standing there, behind a minor
demon who was pushing a huge cart covered in flowing white linen.
There was a large silver domed platter resting in its
center—presumably the breakfast feast he had promised us.

Seeing the tray reminded me that Gwendolyn’s
only source of food from the upper realm had been ruined the day
before. I had a way to feed her without tying her to the Infernal
Realm—which I knew she feared greatly. But I hadn’t had time to
talk to her about it or convince her to take food from me. I sighed
inwardly. I supposed we would see exactly how much she trusted
me…and much sooner than I liked.

“
Good morning, Master
Laish!” Druaga bustled in importantly. Today he was wearing a
tailored burnt umber suit and it seemed he had taken extra care
with his tusks—their gold tips shone in the weak green light coming
from the windows. His genitals were on display as always, I saw
with distaste. Though I am a demon of lust, I find it unseemly to
put one’s appetites and desires to the forefront in such a brazen
manner. Subtlety is most underrated—both above in the Mortal Realm,
and below in Hell.

“
Good morning, Druaga,” I
said shortly, stepping aside to allow him and his underling to
pass. “Let us get this meal over with quickly—I must be on the road
again as soon as may be.”

“
Of course, of course.” He
directed the imp to arrange the breakfast platter on the low table
in the living area and then waved him away.

I sat down opposite Druaga and poured myself
a small cup of tea. I knew I must eat and drink at least one bite
and drink one sip in order to satisfy the terms of our contract.
Such were the niceties of Hell.

“
And where is your lovely
concubine?” Druaga raised one bushy eyebrow at me. “I hope she is
feeling well and did not succumb to the devilkin venom?”

“
She’s fine, thank you,” I
said dryly. “Thanks to your
suspiciously
quick intervention in
the affair she was bitten only once. I was able to rid her of the
poison and bring her back to full health.”

The boar-demon snorted.

“
I’m so glad to hear she’s
feeling well that I will
ignore
your remark as to my timely help in the
manner.”

I simply looked at him and held my peace. I
knew what Druaga wanted from Gwendolyn—it was what any demon who
got close enough to scent her would want. She had a pure,
unblemished human soul—a great delicacy in Hell. But here, at
least, it was perfectly safe. Druaga and I had struck the bargain
already—I would break bread with him in payment for his
intervention in her attack. After this meal, the debt would be paid
in full and Gwendolyn and I could move on.