The Demon Duke and I (11 page)

Silviu kept his rhythm steady, not wanting to take her hard, knowing he had to be gentle with her because it was her first time.

But it seemed as if his heartkeeper had other ideas.

She squeezed his buttocks. “Take me.” It was a demand and a plea at the same time.

He smiled, baring his fangs.

She gasped, the sight stunning her still, and then she gasped again, because he was doing what she had asked, taking her
completely.

One hand gripped her hair while another gripped her buttocks to lift her up to meet his cock. And then he was ramming into her, every thrust of his long, engorged cock brushing perfectly against her clit that George couldn’t help but scream his name over and over.

Her hands twirled around his neck, holding on to him for dear life as Silviu continued to take her as she asked, the increasing force of his thrusts making her eyes roll back.

“Silviu!” She couldn’t help moaning his name as he suddenly pushed her legs wide open until they formed a V in the air before sinking back into her. His cock was able to sink deeper into her this time, so deep it felt like everything that made up her body was filled up by his cock.

This time, his every thrust hit home, pushing her closer and closer to the brink of ecstasy, making her sob. “Silviu, Silviu, please…”

“Tell me what you want,” he growled, wanting and needing to hear his heartkeeper say she wanted him.

She forced her eyes open, feeling the heat of his gaze demanding her to look at him. She started to speak, but the fierce pounding of his cock was doing its best to take over her mind.

How the fuck was she supposed to think when everything felt this good?

Silviu grated, “Georgina, answer me.”

She cried out, “Please make me
come
!”

The words were barely out of her mouth before his fingers had again found her clit, brushing it rhythmically to match the strokes of his cock. In the next moment, she was soaring, screaming as her body went flying in a place that she knew in her heart only Silviu could take her.

Higher and higher she flew, every stroke of his fingers, every thrust of his cock bringing her to unparalleled heights that left her gasping, her body shuddering at the pleasure that his touch evoked.

Her wetness didn’t just flow out. It gushed, and the wet warm proof of her pleasure triggered Silviu’s release. He came with a guttural groan, and his thrusts became wild as he lost himself in his pleasure, taking her over and over and over until she was crying out with him.

When the force of his release started to subside, his semi-erect cock pulsing out the last jets of his cum, Silviu rolled on his back, taking her with him. She rested against his chest, his cock still sheathed within her folds.

“Silviu,” she whispered.

Her voice was silk and honey, the most beautiful sound in the world. She had saved him, saved his kingdom, and for her, Silviu would do anything.

He called for his Galeré in his mind, wanting them to know that the threat to Brimstone was no longer something to be feared.
It is done.

The mark of their bond burned, telling him that all three had heard him speak. But it was only Mihail who answered.
I am pleased to hear that, Your Grace. But Maricha has uncovered another…clause that concerns your heartkeeper.

Silviu tensed.

On top of him, Georgina mumbled a protest.

He pressed a kiss to her hair. “I’m sorry,
ma threa.
Sleep now. I will do my best not to disturb you again.”

She murmured something that sounded too much like another curse, making him wince. His Little Miss Potty Mouth had lots to learn about Chalysian etiquette. Perhaps one day…he would let Mihail handle her.

When she quieted, snuggling against him, Silviu asked,
What did Maricha discover?

Consummation would give you your soul, but for her to gain immortality at your side, you must seek the blessing of her guardian.

In this photo, you’re seeing me riding what they call a ‘hackney’ here in Chalys.

It’s basically a carriage for hire or a horse-drawn taxi.

But honestly, I think it’s called that because you’ll want to hack it to pieces.

My butt hurts like hell with all the bumping and jumping.

#hackneymyass

          Bats covered the evening sky like a streak of black clouds, hovering overhead as if searching for something. As the carriage rattled past the posts that marked the end of the perimeters of Brimstone and into unknown territory, the bats overhead separated in two directions, one heading towards Asphodel, the other towards the Woods of the Wraiths.

         
The scouts are out,
Mihail said.

Bats were kindred to Mihail’s race, and Silviu knew that it pained his friend to see the creatures following the orders of their enemy. Whereas the bond between vampire and bat came naturally, demons and other creatures would catch untamed ones from Sangre’s infamous blood mountains, depriving them to the point of starvation, torturing them until they were forced into submitting to a lifetime of bondage.

The demon lords would not think to look for us here,
Silviu answered. Demons were creatures of arrogance, thinking their line superior to all others. They would never imagine that Silviu and his Galeré, being half-demons themselves, would willingly travel the smaller and uncharted roads of the kingdom dressed like peasants – and in the case of his heartkeeper – doxies.

His heartkeeper, who was sulking – and had been so since the start of their journey. Closing his link to his brothers, Silviu turned to Georgina, loving the way her swept-up hair revealed the classic lines of her face and the way her low-cut gown revealed more than a handful of her décolletage.

Her lips were pursed in annoyance as she worked on her camera. It was a precious sight, but because she was clearly in a nasty mood and itching for a fight, Silviu thought it prudent to keep how much he adored the grumpy look on her face to himself.

Instead, he said gently, “I think those are enough pictures for now, Georgina.” As his future duchess, she deserved the privilege to use what was forbidden, but not to the point that she would seem to be thumbing her nose at everyone else.

George obediently stopped taking pictures of the creepy gray-and-white views outside the carriage and placed the camera carefully on the built-in holder attached to the wall. Silviu had explained to her earlier that the camera flash was damaging to creatures who were photosensitive and that often, cameras also had the tendency to reveal the true character of his people, hence its prohibited use outside Asphodel.

When Silviu only looked at her afterwards, she grumbled, “I don’t like this.” She just couldn’t stay silent any longer. It wasn’t in her nature. If she was mad, then by God the whole world should know it.

 “I wouldn’t do this if it was unnecessary. Obtaining
your guardian’s blessing is the only way I can guarantee your safety. It is how heartkeeping works. I wish it was not so, considering your stories of---”

“Lady Beyotch,” she said automatically when he paused.

Silviu compressed his lips, unused to such cattiness – and terribly amused by it. “---err, yes, that woman – I would rather kill her for you, milady, but before I can do that, it is imperative that I gain her blessing.”

“But you’re not going to get her blessing, dammit.” Her flashing turquoise eyes turned to him. There, he was a better sight to glare at. The surroundings outside were appalling, the
ugliest
she had seen in the kingdom. Even the Woods of the Wraiths had been beautiful, in an eerie sort of way, but this – wherever this was – it was
not
good, like Chalys had a dark twin it kept hidden and George now had the misfortune to stumble into the dark twin’s dwellings.

Chalys was one of the richest countries in the world, with a spectacularly low rate for crime and corruption. It just didn’t make sense that the kingdom had places that made tribal African lands ravaged by war and famine seemed more…
civilized.

She knew she was being childish, throwing a tantrum like this, but she couldn’t help it. George glared at him. “If you really want to marry me, then we should just elope!”

“Not if eloping will keep you a mortal forever.”

“Ha! For all I know, you’re just lying.”

Silviu’s tone turned cold. “If it were any other person, that kind of slur would be treasonous and worthy of a duel.”

“Duel, my ass!”

The words had Silviu blinking. Never had he been treated this way – not once in his entire life. Even the demons that had looked down on him and his Galeré for their mixed blood were less…rude.

His heartkeeper was still raging. “If you think you’re going to have her panties all twisted because you’re so damn good looking, you’re wrong! Lady Beyotch cares only about money – and that means my money, my inheritance, since she has none herself! She’s been planning to marry me off and she will do so the moment she finds some lord she can rule over. She’ll take one look at you and she won’t even wait for a fucking lord! She’ll marry me to the first drunk lout she sees because you, sir, are anything but BIDDABLE!”

The screeched word made Silviu wince.

In his mind, the rest of his Galeré winced as well, for they traveled close to him in the darkness, protecting him like they always did.

Trouble in paradise?
Ilie was smirking.

Shut up.

“Are you even listening to me?”

          He tried to look like he was. “Of course---”

She gritted her teeth. “Don’t you use that tone---” The hired carriage they were in went over a rather large hump, taking her completely by surprise. As it swerved dangerously to the right, George was unable to brace herself against the walls and she found herself sliding off the cushioned seat.

“Oww!” She landed on the floor of the carriage with a painful thump, the dandelion yellow skirt of the gown Silviu had her wear collapsing around George like a fucking banana peel.

She looked up at the conspicuously silent Silviu.

“If I see one fucking smile---”

He looked at her with a stoic expression.

She so wasn’t fucking fooled. “You deliberately didn’t help me. Did you?”

This time, Silviu was genuinely stunned. “Are you saying I purposely caused you to fall, milady?”

“You were able to save me from falling to my death last night – and that was a fucking hundred-foot drop off a cliff. Now we’re in a carriage and you couldn’t keep me from falling out of my seat?”

Silviu slowly ran his hand over his face, using it to help himself control his mirth. Since he had left his childhood behind him, Silviu had found fewer and fewer reasons to laugh, the burden of his responsibility to Brimstone weighing him down so heavily he had been unable to appreciate the beauty of life.

But since his heartkeeper had cursed her way into his life, every moment was…
fun,
even when she was acting like a shrew.
And if he were honest, every moment was…
hilarious,
even when she was the only girl – the only person – who dared accuse him of being a liar, a rapist – the accusations were too many to count, really.

Never in his life had he imagined words like ‘fun’ and ‘hilarious’ would apply to his future duchess, but now that he had Georgina, Silviu wouldn’t have it any other way.

“You’re fucking laughing at me! Don’t think I don’t know it!”

 He allowed himself a chuckle and, ignoring her hisses and struggling, he reached down and easily swept her off the floor, placing her back on his lap where she belonged. This tantrum of hers had been adorable, but he disliked the distance it forced between them.

“You took me by surprise,” he told her honestly. “I have never seen a woman slide off a carriage seat before.”

She growled, “Your apology may be fucking sincere, but it’s only making me
madder
.” George copied his tone, “I’ve never seen a woman slide off a fucking carriage seat.” She let out a little snarl of anger. “Well, sorry if I’m used to riding
cars
with
fucking seatbelts
.”

He laughed. “You do have a point there,
ma threa.
”

That distracted her a bit, and she asked suspiciously, “Are you using another language to swear at me?”

“It means, ye with little trust,
my heart
.”

“Oh.” George coughed, choked, and turned red. She was definitely
not
used to anyone telling her that.

Silviu’s eyes glittered wickedly. “You are blushing, milady.”

“No. You’re just color blind. It must be that demon vision of yours.” The words were out before she could stop it.

Silviu stiffened.

Oh, shit. How tactless could she fucking get?

“So you know.”

This time, there was none of the seductive warmth that previously underlined his voice. She said awkwardly, “Yeah. When I asked you, back when we were doing, umm, that, I already had some idea, and then when you explained to me earlier about how heartkeeping gave you a soul, well, I knew then.”

And now what?

Her tone was uncertain but it was also unreadable, and it frustrated Silviu. Bracing himself for rejection, he asked flatly, “And now that you know I am half-demon---”

Her eyes flew to him in surprise. “
Half-demon
?”

Her shock won a mirthless smile from him. “Do not worry, milady. My other side is not
worse.
”

As she stared at him, she realized that somehow she had hurt him. It boggled the mind – it just absolutely boggled the mind that she had the
power
to hurt someone like him, who wielded a sword like a fucking Viking come to life, killed monsters from hell even though he had been near death, and so damn beautiful sometimes he really just made George want to weep because she knew it would be like
hell
trying not to be jealous once they were in public and every woman on earth was ogling him.

Oh, yeah. That was going to be hell.

“Do you regret being my heartkeeper now?”

The words pulled her out of her reverie, and George’s heart suddenly suffered a painful little twinge at the way Silviu was looking at her, as if he was expecting her to reject him, as if that rejection would kill him.

“Silviu---” She had dozens of smartass answers to give him, all of it meant to hide how she was so crazy about him, but when she looked into his eyes again, George found herself saying, “You’re the fucking best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

His eyes widened.

Her eyes widened, too, and she immediately snarled, “And if you repeat that to anyone, I’m going to fucking cut off your demon wings and---”

A gorgeous smile slashing his lips, Silviu cupped her chin and kissed her. It was one of those take-no-prisoners kinds of kiss, the one that had George stiffening at how he so shamelessly demanded her surrender, as if it would be her pleasure to belong to him.

Arrogant bastard,
George thought even as she gave in to his demand, surrendering herself to him. Her arms wove around his neck as she opened her lips, letting his tongue in, her nipples pebbling against his chest.