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“And I’m never leaving,” Bellamy purrs. He reaches up to gently push the wolf pelt off my shoulders, letting it drop to the stone floor. “Now, take off your clothes, demon. I want to thank you properly for keeping me safe.”
I smile, a real, genuine smile that reaches my glowing crimson eyes, as I help him slip his shirt off his shoulders. “Such a greedy, insatiable thing.”
Chapter twenty-three
Bellamy
The water in the stone bathtub is hot enough to turn my skin a pale rose. It’s deliciously decadent against my sore muscles, especially after the night I just had. I sit between Vesper’s long legs, leaning my back flat against his bare chest. His pale blue arms are wrapped securely around my waist, his broad chin resting on my shoulder as his even breathing lifts us both.
Beneath the surface of the steaming water, shadow tendrils weave around my ankles, calves, and hips like sensual tentacles coaxing and teasing. They move with an impossible, silk-soft delicacy, pulsing with a low, vibrating purr that travels straight into my muscles, melting away every last trace of tension left over from the past few hours.
Vesper reaches for a soft cloth, dipping it into the hot water before gently wiping my chest and neck. His touch is so reverent, so impossibly tender for a demon capable of devouring a soul, that a quiet sigh slips from my lips.
“Comfortable, my little bird?” Vesper murmurs against my ear. His lips brush against the glowing brand on my neck, making my toes curl.
“So comfortable,” I whisper, leaning my head back against his shoulder, looking up at his sharp jawline and the crimson eyes watching me with something like devotion. “I feel amazing.”
In town, whenever Gregory pushed me to my limit or forced me through one of his endless, manipulative arguments, the aftermath was always cold, quiet, and suffocating. I used to lock myself in a room, feeling small and exhausted, waiting for the next blow to fall.
Here, in the water with this demon I call mate, there is no lingering shame, no real fear, and exhaustion. There’s only power and a sense of peace. The crazy thing is, I didn’t just witness Gregory’s death. I fucking demanded it. I reclaimed my life, made myself a home and a family, and cleansed the filth from my soul.
Vesper sets the cloth aside, his hands sliding down my ribs to rest against my hips under the water. “Gregory’s gone, Bellamy. His paid men will never speak your name again. You are free.”
“I was free the moment I crashed onto your crossroads and you came for me,” I say softly, turning in his arms until I am facing him in the steaming water. I wrap my arms around his neck, my eyes locking onto his. “Now, I’m here, with my mate and truly happy.”
A dark, fierce satisfaction flares through the soul bond, hot and intoxicating. Vesper lifts me effortlessly out of the bath, wrapping a thick black towel around my shoulders before carrying me straight into the bedroom.
The hearth fire crackles softly. The moment we reach the mattress and my feet hit the floor, I drop the towel and push Vesper back onto the bed. I straddle his hips, grinding my naked body against his.
Vesper lets out a low, surprised rumble deep in his chest, his hands instantly gripping my waist, his crimson eyes flaring dark. “Bellamy…”
“My turn,” I purr, leaning down to capture his lips in a deep kiss.
I take my time with him. I kiss the sharp line of his jaw, the cool skin of his neck, and his broad chest. I revel in the way his heart hammers wildly beneath my touch. Every time my fingers play with his pebbled nipples, or my lips suck a wet path across his abs, the mark on my neck blazes with radiant light, pouring a rush of pleasure straight through our bond.
Vesper groans, his fingers digging into my hips, lifting me slightly as he arches up into my touch. His shadows find my hole and slowly work me open. He isn’t holding back anymore. He knows I’m strong enough to handle his power. Brave enough to see his darkness. Eager enough to return his possessiveness. And wild enough to crave his devotion.
I guide his cock to my entrance and slowly sink down. We move together in the with a needy frantic dance of heat and friction. Pleasure bounces back and forth, feeding the soul bond in an endless loop. Making love to Vesper is intense, and deeply primal. It’s feral and centered on devotion and obsession. It’s a deep connection I believe only true mates can share.
This moment would almost be perfect if I could find the guts to tell him how I really feel.
Right as I’m about to come, Vesper yanks me to him, pressing our bodies close as he thrusts up. Before I can even react, he thrusts harder before his tail locks me in place so that I’m trapped. There’s a feral, possessive look in his eyes. My heart begins to race faster. I try to get free, but his tail doesn’t let go. He slams into me again, causing a moan to tumble free. His hand travels a slow, delicious path up across my stomach. Up my chest. Finally landing on my neck until he’s gripping there, with claws that can easily rip my throat out. Instead, his fingers lightly wrap around my neck not like a threat, but more like a confession.
“Tell me that you love me.”
I gasp. What the fuck? Is he serious. His tail tightens its hold, as if gripping my neck isn’t enough.
“Go on, little bird. Say it. Tell me you fucking love me.”
Oh god, it’s true. “I do," I sob out. "I fucking love you.”
Vesper groans, his lips crashing down on mine. “I love you, too.”
I ride him hard and fast until I’m spilling between us, and he’s filling me with heat.
When our orgasms subside, I collapse against Vesper’s bare chest, my breathing ragged. He wraps his arms around me, pulling the duvet over our shoulders, tucking me in.
From the shadows at the foot of the bed, the Devil Dog manifests its obsidian form. The shadow hound creeps over the covers, coiling its ethereal head across our laps like a protective beast. The multiple eyes have disappeared into the normal two I’ve grown used to, glowing gently in the dark as it lets out it’s hypnotic purr.
