Page 81 of Sorrow & Strangers

Summer

Why the hell did I do that? I wanted to exert some level of dominance, to show him he didn’t have me against a wall. Instead, all I got was a sense of what I’m missing. He is so big and hard. I can still feel the weight of him in my hand, and my core throbs with a deep, undeniable need.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. He’s wearing a glamour, so I don’t know if that’s all him. It could be that he made some . . . enhancements. But the mental image . . . shit. Concentrate, Summer. I’m here for Rafe.

The stranger whistles, beckoning me, and my entire body tenses, cooling my desire. He actually whistled for me like I am his pet. Ignoring him, I continue to browse the stalls until I sense a second set of appreciative eyes on me. I look up from the small demonic trinkets and meet the dark gaze of a demon.

“Like something you see?” I say, my words coming out in perfect Infernal. I wish his rune had worked on the written word too, but while I can speak in Infernal, I am unfortunately illiterate.

The demon slides his tongue over his fangs, continuing to stare at me. “Never seen you around here before.”

I lift my chin, my lips curling into a slow smile. “Maybe you just don’t remember seeing me.”

“Nah, I’d never forget someone as fine as⁠—”

His eyes lift, and his words trail off, focusing on something just behind me. I sense his presence a moment before his hand drifts over my waist. The stranger pulls me back to him and makes a show of smelling my hair before he looks back at the demon, his hand splayed wide across my stomach just above the waistband of my shorts.

“You wouldn’t be flirting with what’s mine, would you?” he asks.

A chill runs down my spine, my body responding instinctively to the power and anger radiating from him. I smirk at the demon. His face completely drains of color, and he retreats quickly.

When we’re alone, I shove his hand away and whirl on him. “He was about to give me intel.”

“No he wasn’t,” he growls back. “And you don’t need any. We have to stay the night for Rafe’s order.”

I blink. “What? Why?”

“They can only deliver half now. We need to wait until tomorrow for the rest.”

I shrug. “Okay, I can come back.”

He shakes his head, crossing his arms over his chest. His demon form is really sexy. I’d been trying not to notice, but it’s difficult when his muscles are all flexed and hot. I wonder how similar it is to how he actually looks. Silver hair, dark eyes, tanned skin, strong jaw . . .

Stop.

“It’s better to only do one trip. The rune for keeping you on Avalon time is hard on your magic and body. I’ve booked us a room.”

I growl, dropping my voice to a hiss. “There is absolutely no way I am staying here with you. Even less of a chance I’m staying in the same room.”

The tension tightening in his shoulders is barely visible, but I clock it, and he moves in. His stupidly big, warm hands slide over my bare waist, and he leans down, his lips at my ear. “Shut the fuck up.” I’m about to yell at him, maybe slap him when he digs his fingers into me. “We’re being watched. Come with me. Now.”

I suppress a shiver, and maybe it’s my imagination, but I also sense eyes on us. This feels different from the demon who wanted to fuck. It’s different from the stranger. It’s even different from Aqua. We are being watched with suspicion.

The stranger nips at my neck with his fangs. I growl softly but don’t fight him when he slips his hand into mine and leads me into a nearby alley between two of the towering buildings, but I do pull away a little. I don’t need to feel the heat coming from his body or remember the size of him against my palm.

We weave through the warren of streets, emerging in a more modern part of Pandemonium. While the outside is nearly indistinguishable from the buildings on either side of it, inside the hotel looks exactly how you would imagine a hotel in Hell would. We are met with a blast of cool air and the smell of bonfire as we push through the doors. The theme in the lobby is fire, the i dark with red accents. Torches light the windowless space, and while the flames burn brightly, no heat radiates from them. They have really leaned into the stereotype.

I stay close as the stranger talks to the demon behind the counter and checks us in, but I make sure not to touch him. It seems I cannot trust myself not to respond to his touch. The pull of him is even more intense when he wears a glamour, probably because there is less of a magical barrier. The avatar is like we’re kept apart by walls, and this is like we’re separated by a thin sheet.

The stranger pulls me against his side, hissing into my ear as we walk down the long hallway to our room, “You need to be more cautious. If they know who you truly are, Lucifer will take you and keep you here to force Rafe to come to him.”

Fuck, he’s right. For so long, I was the only one who faced the consequences of my own actions. Even now, I find it difficult to adjust to having a family and people who rely on me, but I bristle that he seems to know this is a weakness of mine. So while I move closer physically, I still push back verbally.

“And you need to back off,” I whisper.

“Me?” he asks, his head snapping toward me. His shock is more than a little satisfying.

“Yes, you,” I say smugly.