Demon Day (35 page)

Breandan slammed into whatever Ana had
erected to hold me.

The Clerics backed off, alarmed by the
immediate demon evacuation, and sprinted away too, grabbing
Disciples as they went.

Now two of us beat as the barrier, and
it thinned, rippling under the strain. More cracks, huge cracks. I
found the last knot in the spell Ana cast and tore it
down.

Before I could order my own limbs to
grab him, his hands were on me, in my hair running down my
back.

The bond steeply increased in urgency,
and my heart stalled, knees gave out. Tingles ran across my scalp,
the back of my legs, and arms. Magical currents running across my
skin sparked against the same electric charge jumping off Breandan.
Colliding, the power pinged back and forth between us growing in
might until it reached breaking point. We clutched each other
riding out the numbing pressure. I shivered uncontrollably then
flung my head back and inhaled on a gasp. Breandan grunted as our
bodies revolted and an intense light blasted from his body and
mine, so bright it seared my eyes. I scrunched them shut, crying
out as the ground rumbled, shunting us to the side.

Ripples of power pulsed from me,
slammed into swells of force radiating from Breandan. Both merged
into crushing waves of energy strong enough to obliterate anything
in its path.

My head snapped forward and I
collapsed into Breandan arms, which trembled. I could not focus on
anything but him. Not on what was happening, nor the terrifying
magics exploding around us. My fingers dug into him, I was not
letting go. Breandan ignored the chaos and tugged me closer. My
body jolted, pushed against his hands needing more. I gasped into
his mouth as the light continued to flow from us in a devastating
burgeon of heat.

My heart vibrated in my chest, the
sensation rumbling across my ribs and lower back. Frenzied, blood
rushed in my veins, and the love pouring from him to me was
rapturous. I strained to be closer, exhilarated by the need to fuse
to him, wanting to mount him. It was odd, and creepy, but gods, I
just wanted to crawl into his skin.

His hands swept over my back, clasping
my waist, and pulling me closer so our hips locked. He made me feel
tiny, fragile, and precious. His fingers splayed across my skin
tracing patterns. He traced my scars. Shame and self-loathing was a
powerful thing. So powerful, it managed to separate me from the
thing I wanted most.

I jerked away and stumbled back, tears
stinging my eyes.

The light dimmed though the ground did
not stop trembling.

Furious at myself, at my ugly scars, I
glared at him and narrowed my eyes to slits. Breandan stood and
stumbled with me, his hands still running down my sides. How could
he still want me when I looked like this? The building at the edge
of the courtyard halted my escape, and I covered my face with my
hands, pressed my eyes closed to try and block out his
light.

“
Don’t touch me,” I
mumbled. My voice shook and tears threatened to fall, “Don’t look
at me.”

“
Rae-love, you are
beautiful.” His voice was raspy as he struggled to
focus.

My hands fell from my face in shock.
How was it possible for him to lie without falling down
dead?

His confusion at the look of horror on
my face was clear. His glassy eyes dimmed as he fought for control,
his dilated pupils contracted. All this evidence of his complete
loss of control only served to enrage me more. He was lost in
sensation, and I was too self-conscious to stay in that place with
him.

I punched his chest. “No, I’m not.” I
punched him again, the contact somehow soothing and irritating at
the same time. He grunted. “I was before, I was beautiful before,
but now I’m … I’m–”

I slapped him across the
face. Four claw marks from cheek to chin had him hissing sharply.
He stood still, not flinching under my blow, but his eyes blazed
like shards of glinting crystal as the slashes healed leaving
smooth skin. My eyes filled with tears. I was not vain, nor did I
care before what I looked like, but I had never been
ugly
. Now my skin was
covered in scars I could not bear knowing he loved what I once and
never would be again.

“
How could you let them do
this to me?”

He flinched this time.

His head moved slowly back and forth
as if he was saying no to a question I had not asked. “You will
accept this. Accept us.”

I stumbled over debris at my feet,
lost my balance on the unsteady ground, and smacked the back of my
head against something. The urge to hold Breandan was so fierce I
had to fight to stay focused on moving my mouth to speak. “Go
away.”

“
I belong to you.”
Breandan’s jaw clenched as he too fought the urge to touch me.
“Where you go I follow. I will always follow you.”

“
Don’t,” I spat. “I want
you to le–” I choked on my words.

“
You want me.” Back against
the wall, I had nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. His hands
slammed into the brick on either side of me. He ducked his head
down, expression torn. His fingers dug into the dull red brick and
gouged out deep grooves. “Accept us, Rae. Oh, enough of this. Just
accept me.”

“
Do you not see me?” I
whispered.

His eyes looked me over carefully. His
thumb brushed over a mottled slash that ran from the middle of my
cheek right down to my collarbone. He took me in all of me and I
felt disgusting. I hung my head and failed to muffle a
sob.

His nature beat upon my own like a
drum, loud, bold, and relentless.

“
You truly wish to know
what I see,” he paused and I waited for the words that would crush
me. “I see nothing … but the one I would die for. The one I would
destroy the world for,” he murmured. “I see nothing but my
Rae.”

He wanted me, unconditionally, and
without the slightest of hesitations.

My heart beat against my ribcage in
bold and singular blows that made my chest ache. My eyes closed,
but it only heightened my perception of him. He was a mere jerk of
my body away. He wanted to hold me, and his body screamed for the
contact as loud as mine. My hands rubbed my thighs, drifted up to
brush past my hips. The feeling grew, rolled around until I
fidgeted in my own skin.

All I had to say was…
“Okay.”

He became completely still. Then with
a savage snarl of triumph Breandan’s mouth crashed down on
mine.

My need for him escalated into frenzy
and I wound my fingers in his hair, sighed in pleasure as the
pressure shifted. It was no longer pressing down on me from every
angle, but had surged inside to writhe under my skin. Now I had to
appease the bond my joining with my mate.

I unfurled, a wildflower opening to
the sunlight. His sunlight. My thoughts broke apart, scattered like
whispers on the wind before they zapped together and pushed me
higher, sending me unbidden thoughts of how we would look, bodies
entwined, and hands greedily sliding over bared skin. Through our
bond we connected so the slide of flesh on flesh and gasp of breath
across wet lips was intensified by feeding off each other’s
reaction to each stroke, each mindless caress.

His lean body shimmered under my
hands, hard flesh pearlescent. He traced his strong hands over my
curves as if I were delicate, then simply took hold of my wrists,
pinned them to my side, and held me as I strained forward, offering
everything.

My thunderous heartbeat raced faster
with every touch and caress. Each breathless moan had our
connection growing and increasing in poignancy.

The world was awash with translucent
color. Splashes of red clashed with violent blue and glossy purple.
Sensation became a sound, the soft sigh of his hand as it left my
wrist and grasped my waist. His thoughts a physical torment that
battered my senses.

His eyes – usually silvery-blue and
sparkly – were opaque, flat cobalt, and smoldering.

I embraced the madness, did not dwell
on how outrageous it was I could need him more than the air dragged
into my lungs that was released in a shuddering breath as his teeth
grazed over my neck.

The darkness within me throbbed,
threatened to blot out the light. I pushed it away from me, turned
away from its welcoming coolness, and threw myself into the
hedonistic flames of Breandan’s light.

His mouth skimmed my chin and hungrily
latched onto mine. He pressed me into the wall. At the dominant
display, my nature flared and responded becoming submissive and
malleable. My body went languid; muscles tense yet easily
manipulated. His hand drifted down to brush my breast. I gasped and
tugged on his hold. I equally wanted to cover myself and drag my
clothes off.

He let me go unconsciously offering me
the choice. I laced my fingers around his neck.

In the end, his fervent kiss undid me.
I could feel his hunger as his tongue lashed mine yet his hands
ravaged me with such care I felt safety like I had never
known.

Soon my trousers were pushed down my
hips. I kicked one pant leg off, too absorbed to bother with the
other and I fumbled with the laces at Breandan’s waist. His mouth
found mine again. He hosted me up and I wrapped my legs around his
waist. The friction between our bodies was maddening,
torturous.

My breathing deepened and
his eyes glazed over. Yet, his movement slowed, almost like what
was happening was dawning on him. I was too hungry for this to slow
down. If it slowed, we would start to think. Thought was
bad,
very bad
. In
fact, if I could feel like this forever instead of ever having a
single coherent though ever again that would be damn
fine.

I grabbed his head and
pulled him back to me. Our teeth smashed together painfully and he
grunted but readjusted himself and took control. He deepened the
kiss and gripped my hips, tore away to lean back and look me in the
eye.
Ready?
His
voice was thick with desire in my mind. I responded with my body. I
tightened my legs as my stomach clenched in fear and anticipation.
Breandan kissed me. I cried out in pain and pleasure as he thrust
forward. I jerked back, breaking the kiss and staring at him, eyes
wide. It hurt. My hands fisted on his shoulders and I locked up.
Damn. Tears pricked the corner of my eyes and I tried to breathe
out but the air was caught in my throat. By gods, it hurt, but my
love for him was enough to numb the pain, and not have me attacking
him in a panic. I was tense, dragged down from my lust-induced
pedestal by the shock of it – the welcomed invasion of my body.
Breandan shifted and his tongue flicked out to slide across my
bottom lip. Then he kissed me, gently pressing his lips to mine as
if he wanted to absorb all pain and all suffering for me. This
simple gesture had me relaxing enough for a flare of heat to rack
my body and turn my rigid muscles to jelly for the flare of healing
heat was swiftly followed by a ripple of pleasure.

The pain was gone. He fit beautifully,
and a sensation, hot and deep pushed me somewhere I had never dared
to hope I would glimpse. Not before this fairy came into my life
and changed everything.

I felt our bond expand, flutter then
contract, locking itself tightly in the core of me, chaining my
soul to him for the rest of my life. It made me happy, content, and
nothing could make the moment more perfect or wonderful.

Breandan’s back rippled under my
hands. Gasping, I jerked back. He groaned, and pressed his forehead
to mine. His body quaked violently before surging forward as a loud
ripping sound was almost drowned by the harsh cry he shouted into
my shoulder.

I watched in utter shock and amazement
when wings, a luminous gray so pale they matched the whitish silver
of his eyes, unfolded from Breandan’s back.

They uncoiled, fluttered behind him.
Thick and wide they were like mine, their many segments shimmering
and light bluish veins webbed throughout. They were gossamer thin
yet sucked up the moonlight, intensified it, and threw it back in a
prism of brilliant light. Breandan glowed like the sun. When his
pinions had extended to their full length he faltered, and we slid
down the wall some as he panted.

I clutched his face between my hands
and peppered his face with kisses, tears in my eyes. My tail snaked
around his thigh before coming into contact with his, and I laughed
in joy, tugging on its end playfully.

Breandan chuckled then pushed us back
up the wall and bracketed me with his arms. He crushed his lips on
mine, and I kissed him back as ferociously.

The pleasure warming my lower stomach
grew; got hotter. It was harder to breathe, harder to think
straight. His kiss swept away any doubt this was meant to be. The
way he said my name as he moved inside me left me aching for his
love.

Pained, delirious, and drunk on
passion I scored my nails down his sides. He bit my shoulder hard
enough to draw blood and I moaned. Pinned between a rock and a damn
hard place my body was under an assault of sound, touch, and taste.
Mmmm, taste. I licked his shoulder and dragged in a lungful of his
scent; sunlight, soil, and a native wildness that spoke to me in a
hushed whisper. Everything was foreign. I was thrilled with the
excitement of it. Knowing what we did was breaking the rules, but
that it was going to happen regardless.