The Warlock Who Hungered for a Demon (9 page)

also of Winter Tomacelli. Too bad pixies were so unpleasant and

antisocial. They were truly beautiful creatures.

Still holding Rhys’s hand, Noah went after Saaze, with the guards

trailing behind them through the undergrowth. The walk seemed to go

on forever. At one point, it became apparent to Noah that Saaze was

leading them in circles. He didn’t say anything, though, guessing this

might be Saaze’s way to confuse them.

“I’m honestly surprised she even agreed to take us to her shaman

after her reaction to the black magic thing,”
Rhys told him through

their bond.
“Perhaps you made a good impression on her.”

“Or perhaps she was so pissed off with me that she decided she

wants to give us a lesson. Either way, baby, we have to be on our

guard. These people are not our friends.”

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Finally, just as Noah was about to lose his patience, the group left

the forest and ended up in yet another grove. Noah’s eyes widened.

This was nothing like the area they’d met in. The trees seemed to

grow even taller in this area, their roots having extended with age.

There were little shelters built under those roots, homes Noah could

barely catch a glimpse of and that could most likely be disguised

should any accidental passerby run into this place. But mostly, what

surprised Noah most was the people. There were so many of them, far

more than Noah had expected. Young men and women, but also more

mature pixies, all with the same willowy stature and grace Saaze had

displayed earlier, spoke in soft, nearly inaudible voices, walking

around, flirting and chatting. They didn’t address Noah and Rhys at

all, nor did they look at them. Noah decided it was best to follow

Saaze’s earlier advice and remain silent until they reached their

destination.

Noah didn’t know what he’d expected the famous shaman to be

like, but when Saaze stopped in front of one particular pixie, Noah

was taken aback. He would not have known this was the man they’d

come to see without her help.

“So, you’ve brought them to me, have you, Saaze?” the male pixie

asked pleasantly. “I hope you have another reason besides their

uncommon good looks.”

Much like his people, the shaman was very tall and slim. He lay

down in the shadow of a nearby tree, caressing a tree root, much like

Saaze had done with the grass earlier. He seemed older than Saaze,

but it did not show in his body or his skin, only in his eyes. They held

a wisdom that reminded Noah of what he saw when he looked at

Sterling Tomacelli. Even so, the hint of demonic naughtiness was still

there, and Noah wrapped a possessive arm around Rhys’s waist. No

matter what, he would not allow these people to take advantage of

Rhys.

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57

“The gentlemen here are Noah Hall and Rhys Whitaker,” Saaze

replied. “Mr. Hall found it beneficial for him to use black magic, and

now he’s paying the price.”

“And he wants our assistance for it.” The shaman hummed

thoughtfully. “I’m now wondering what made you bring them here in

the first place. You know I don’t see people like that.”

Saaze said something in a language Noah didn’t understand,

which made the shaman chuckle. Noah ached to punch him in the

face, but he got distracted by a quiet, slender man making his way to

the shaman’s side. He knelt next to the pixie leader and whispered

something in the shaman’s ear.

The shaman’s expression turned gentle and concerned. Looking

away from Saaze, he took hold of the new arrival’s shoulders and

pressed their foreheads together. There was a brief exchange, again in

that language Noah didn’t know, during which the stranger seemed to

be trying to convince the shaman of something. Finally, the older

pixie released a sigh and turned toward Noah and Rhys.

“Very well. I’ll hear you out, but only because my son insists it’s

important.”

His son must be the young man who’d just been arguing with him,

Noah realized. He didn’t bother to dwell on why anyone here would

be on their side. Instead, he launched himself in an explanation of his

situation and how he’d acquired the tumor.

After he finished, the shaman seemed a little less dismissive. “I

see,” he said. “Well, I can understand why you made the choice you

did.”

For the first time, the shaman gestured for them to sit down. “I am

Abduk, and this is my son, Kieve. As shaman over this tribe, I can

assist you with your request, should you agree to my price.”

Noah heeded Abduk’s invitation and lay down on the grass, with

Rhys following his example. “And what exactly is your price?” Noah

inquired.

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“Well, normally, since Rhys here is an incubus…Well, I don’t

have to tell you what I would ask.” Noah clenched his fists, struggling

to control his rising temper. Abduk continued to speak, completely

undeterred. “But since Kieve insists you two are mates, I won’t ask

for that. We respect a deep bond, and we would not force you to

breach it.”

“What is it that you want, then?” Rhys asked.

“It’s quite simple, really. I want you two to have sex, with each

other, in front of all of us. It would be quite an enjoyable show for my

tribe and an appropriate trade-off for the favor you require.”

Noah was dumbfounded. In truth, this seemed far better than any

option that had occurred to him, and it was probably nothing Rhys

hadn’t already done. Still, Noah treasured every moment he shared

with Rhys, and he didn’t want their lovemaking to be corrupted by the

lusts of others.

“How do we even know you’ll keep your word?”

“You don’t,” Abduk replied. “You’ll just have to trust us.”

“I don’t think we have much choice, Noah,”
Rhys said through

their bond.
“But it’s not so bad. If they can truly help you, this is

nothing.”

With a sigh, Noah nodded. “All right. But no one is touching Rhys

or else the deal is off.”

“Worry not, Mr. Hall,” a soft voice said. “Your mate is safe here.”

For whatever reason, Noah was not surprised that Abduk’s son

had said the words. Even so, he didn’t trust anyone here, not even

Kieve, who appeared to want to help them. “Let’s just do this

already,” he said curtly. “I don’t want to linger here for much longer.”

* * * *

When Rhys had dreamed of making love with Noah, he had never

once imagined that soon, there would come a time when he’d be so

nervous at his mate’s touch. The feeling of anticipation he always

The Warlock Who Hungered for a Demon

59

experienced upon being with Noah was very different to this. As an

incubus, he’d had sex in even more exotic ways and locations, but not

since mating Noah. With his mate, he was possessive, and he didn’t

want to share the warlock with anyone.

Nevertheless, Rhys admitted they’d been quite lucky so far. In the

end, what did it matter if the entire world saw them together? Rhys

was not ashamed of their love. If anything, he couldn’t be more proud

of it.

With that in mind, Rhys went to the center of the grove and sat on

the grass. As Noah joined them, the pixies who had not paid any

attention to him and his mate until then now revealed their true

interest. They gathered around under the trees, creating a circle

around Rhys and Noah. The grove was so large that Rhys could

hardly even see them, but he could definitely feel their emotions, their

gathering anticipation and arousal.

It was familiar, but still somewhat frightening, because Rhys had

never truly showed his incubus side to Noah. But when Noah knelt by

his side and gently cupped his cheek, all of Rhys’s doubts fled.

Whether they were here, back home, in a random hotel room, or on

the moon itself, Rhys and Noah were mates. As long as they were

together, nothing else mattered.

“That’s right, baby,”
Noah said in his mind.
“Just let them watch

and know that you belong to me. No one else has the right to touch

you. Not now, not ever.”

Rhys shivered in excitement and pulled Noah down on him. Their

lips met in a kiss that started out as gentle, but grew more intense,

more possessive, to a certain extent, desperate. Rhys wrapped his

arms around Noah’s neck, moaning as the warlock’s tongue thrust

into his mouth. Already lost in his mate’s taste, Rhys gasped in

surprise when Noah pulled away from the kiss. He wanted more. He

wanted everything Noah had to give.

Fortunately, Noah seemed to have something similar in mind. The

warlock murmured a spell, and the buttons of Rhys’s shirt started to

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undo by themselves. Apparently, Noah was taking heed of the fact

that they weren’t in their home, after all, and couldn’t afford to lose

their clothing.

Rhys just stood by passively, waiting as the spell did its job. He

knew he should be helping out a bit, but he was frozen by the sight of

Noah working on his own clothing. The warlock didn’t use magic to

undress himself. Instead, he made a show of stripping for Rhys’s

benefit, slowly revealing his wonderfully muscular body as he undid

each button at a time. With every inch of exposed skin, Rhys’s

arousal increased more and more, his erection straining against the

material of his pants. When Noah dumped his shirt on the grass, Rhys

actually started panting, the urgency growing within him so intense he

felt like he’d turn the entire forest to ash. And the hunger, God, the

hunger…It had never been so wild and furious before Rhys had met

Noah. Unlike then, however, this angry need could be tamed by

Noah’s kisses, his touch, his love.

Noah smiled at him and swept his fingers over Rhys’s crotch. The

zipper of Rhys’s pants lowered, revealing Rhys’s underwear. That

move snapped Rhys out of his trance, and he unashamedly kicked his

pants away. His shoes tried to stop him from achieving his goal, but a

murmured spell from Noah slipped them off. Rhys’s briefs were the

last to go, leaving him naked in front of Noah.

There was something deliciously wicked in being nude in the

meadow, feeling the fertile ground beneath him and with the blades of

grass caressing his skin just like Noah’s gaze did. As Noah pushed his

own pants off, Rhys extended his hands, beckoning his mate closer.

“Come claim me,”
he said through their bond.
“I need you,

Noah.”

Something seemed to snap inside Noah. With a low growl, the

warlock released himself from the rest of his clothing, moving with a

speed that rivaled that of a shifter. When they were finally both

naked, Noah brought their bodies close.
“I want you so badly, Rhys,”

he murmured.
“I’m not going to be able to hold back today.”

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61

“You don’t have to,”
Rhys answered.
“You never have to hold

back with me.”

Noah pushed two fingers inside Rhys’s mouth, and Rhys eagerly

fellated them, doing an imitation of the attention he’d have loved to

lavish on Noah’s cock. Noah never once looked away from him as he

thrust his digits in and out of Rhys’s wet cavern. There was a hint of

dark intensity in Noah, something that hadn’t been there before during

their previous times together. It might have been a desire to make sure

everyone understood the truth about their bond, or something entirely

different. Rhys didn’t look too deeply into it. The only thing he cared

about was having his mate inside him. Everything else except that

need had disappeared.

The warlock finally retrieved his fingers from Rhys’s mouth and

slid them over Rhys’s body to his hole. Rhys lifted his legs, bending

nearly in half to give his mate access. He couldn’t help a moan when

Noah’s digits first touched his sensitive entrance. His anus ached to

be filled, desiring Noah’s invasion. But for all of Noah’s clear

impatience, the warlock kept the promise he’d made to Rhys, not

taking any chances. He slipped one finger inside Rhys’s passage,

working him like a virtuoso would a musical instrument. When

Rhys’s body accepted it eagerly, Noah added the second finger,