Demon Slave (20 page)

At the end of the tunnel, a massive room
came into view. Rex motioned toward a long corridor to his left.
“That’s the exit.”

It must have been a straight shot because
Nadua could see a dim light in the distance.

“
I’ll go start gathering
wood for our fire.” He handed the lantern to Marik, then crossed to
pull something from behind a pile of stones. “Here are some
supplies. Cloth, soap, razor. Feel free to use them.”

Marik nodded in thanks.

Back in the blissfully warm cavern, Nadua
eagerly turned to take the lantern and supplies from Marik. “I’ll
go first and come up for you when I’m done.”

He lifted it out of reach. “I’m not leaving
you alone down here.”

She gaped at him as his words sank in. “You
don’t expect me to bathe in front of you?”

“
If you want to wash, then
yes. I do expect that.”

“
You can’t be in here while
I bathe, it’s...you just can’t.”

He smirked. “Shy? After what we did before?
I’d say that was more intimate than a bath.”

Nadua flushed and made a frustrated sound.
“That was different.” Well, it wasn’t that different. “Our clothes
were on, and you surprised me.”

He shrugged.

The idea of being naked in front of this
aggressive male was as frightening as it was titillating.

“
Marik, this isn’t funny.
Are you prepared to strip in front of me?” she
challenged.

Marik reached to remove his shirt and Nadua
got a glimpse of tightly corded abs and a rock solid chest with
light scars rippling over each muscle. Cheeks heating, she flipped
around, yet was imaging licking every inch of that flesh.

She heard his soft chuckle. “You really are
shy.”

“
I haven’t been naked in
front of a man since Evlon,” she admitted. She never used to be shy
about things like sex. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was
now.

“
What about back in the
prison tent? You weren’t shy then.”

“
If my face had been
uncovered you would have seen how nervous I was. Besides, you were
restrained.”

“
Not as well as you
thought. If I had wanted you, I could have had you.”

Nadua wasn’t sure how to respond. Did that
mean he hadn’t wanted her? And why was that the first thing she
thought, rather than how dangerous a situation she had put herself
in?

“
Look, I don’t want to push
you,” he continued. “Although now, I can think of nothing but your
wet naked body before me.” He let out the slightest groan, as if he
couldn’t help it.

She could imagine it too. And it excited
her.

His voice lowered to a more serious tone. “I
don’t know this place, and I nearly lost you before. There are so
many scents in here that I can’t pick yours out. So there is no way
I’m leaving you alone, even for a second. Either accept that or go
without a bath.”

Grumbling, Nadua snapped back around,
keeping her eyes mostly on his face. “You are not to come in with
me.” She shivered at the idea. Was that what she wanted?

“
I’ll stay right here,” he
agreed.

She raised a brow. “And you can’t
watch.”

His lips thinned. “Fine.”

“
You really won’t
look?”

Was that disappointment in her tone?

“
I promise.” He turned his
back to her.

Nadua snorted. “Like your last promise?” The
memory of him yelling that she would never see Ava again still
stung. Was that why she was doing this? To punish him?

He gave her his profile. “I never promised
you would see Ava again. I promised to try and make it happen. And
I still will, Nadua, but I can’t guarantee it. I can’t see what
will happen in the future.” With that he turned his head away from
her, giving her free reign to study his bare back, smooth and tan,
and just as ripped with muscle as his front.

He couldn’t see the future,
but
she
could—every so often—and she was reminded of the first vision
of him, red-eyed and tearing through a wall of men.

Her brows knit together. Before, he’d been
angry with her for trying to run, but nothing like in that vision.
His gentleness when he’d stroked her to orgasm, and the desperate
way he had held her in the cavern after she’d nearly fallen, was
all too confusing in comparison. Once again she cursed her lack of
control with her ability.

“
Are you getting in or
not?”

“
I’m getting in. Don’t
move.”

There was no way she was giving this up,
even if he had insisted on watching. The notion had actually
thrilled her, but Marik gave in much easier than she would have
guessed.

It was probably better this way. They had
been too intimate already. She didn’t really know Marik, and her
cryptic visions were only adding to the mystery.

* * *

With every sound of Nadua peeling off her
clothes and stepping into the water, Marik couldn’t help
visualizing what she might look like with the lantern’s dancing
light caressing her silky skin, her fiery red hair damp and
clinging to the soft curve of her breasts.

When she groaned with contentment, his shaft
jerked and he had to stifle one of his own.

Not being able to scent her down here made
him incredibly uneasy. If she disappeared, he wouldn’t know unless
he stole a look. And that would surely piss her off, though it
would no doubt make his day. He’d never wanted to break a promise
so badly in his life.

“
How’s the water?” he
asked, to get her talking.

“
Perfect,” she replied in a
deeply sexy voice, which made him harder still.

Damn it. Why didn’t she want him in there
with her? He’d proven he would do nothing to hurt her, hadn’t he?
Although that was his fear, he knew she worried about it too. With
her, he’d been gentle, had restrained his desire while badly
wanting to settle her under him and shove inside her, until they
both screamed with ecstasy.

The thing that was most surprising to Marik
was that he hadn’t blacked out while she’d given him the most
powerful orgasm he’d ever experienced—with only her hand. It made
him wonder if being with her for a night might be different than
his past experiences.

Again he thought that maybe it had something
to do with her gift, that he had remained himself during the height
of pleasure. He had been eased by her presence from the beginning.
Perhaps that was her talent.

Or maybe her gift was something else
altogether.

At first, he thought they’d only gotten
lucky with the sinkhole. But if Nadua hadn’t called out like she
had, he would have been well in the middle of it. Only now did he
recall that she’d yelled his name before there had been any hint of
a problem.

His teeth gnashed together at the memory.
While watching Nadua dangle on the edge, Marik’s heart had wrenched
in a way he’d never felt before. Neither the arena nor any of his
other masters had been able to inspire the crippling dread of that
moment.

He told himself that it was for Anya’s sake
that he’d been so alarmed for her safety. But for whose sake was it
when, later, he had to forcibly release her from his relieved
embrace? It had resulted in a rush of anxiety that was only
appeased when she allowed him to take her hand. An anxiety that was
returning now with her out of sight.

Marik was grateful when she found the soap.
The sounds of water calmed him, but it did nothing to hinder the
images running though his mind, keeping him hard as steel.

“
I can’t believe this has
been here the whole time,” she practically moaned.

His cock jerked once more and he shifted in
his pants. More water sounds resonated, as if she lifted it to drip
over her body, and it was trickling through all the crevices where
his tongue should be.

Mine
.

Marik mentally shook himself.

The sudden thought reminded him of the
comment Rex had made in their first meeting. Marik had been ready
to tear his throat out for the way he’d been looking at Nadua. But
in Demonish, Rex had said, “Easy friend, I would never encroach on
your mate.”

At first, Marik had been flabbergasted.
After brief consideration, Marik had informed him that Nadua wasn’t
his mate. Rex’s response had been, “Are you sure?”

How could he not be sure? Demons were
supposed to be able to scent their mates instantly, from miles
away. Rex should know that. Sure, Nadua was getting under his skin
in a bad way, but that was only because he’d gone without a woman
for so long. As he always did.

Breaking him from his thoughts, Marik
noticed Nadua had gone quiet. Unthinking, he turned to make sure
she was still there. She shrieked, shielding herself with her arms
and ducking into the water.

“
You looked!”

“
I’m sorry, I didn’t hear
you...I thought—”

“
What? That I left? Where
would I go? You’re standing by both exits.”

“
I didn’t see anything,” he
lied. His painfully stiff shaft was punishing him for it. Had she
just been about to...? Surely her hand wasn’t... “Make some noise
or something, so I know you’re still there.”

“
I-I was just...wondering
about your scars.”

Marik went tense. How could he have
forgotten his own marred body? He contemplated putting his shirt
back on, but because he hadn’t perceived any kind of distaste in
her tone, he decided to leave it off.

“
Could you tell me about
them?”

“
No.” He tried not to growl
the word.

How would she react knowing what he’d been
forced to do? She’d be disgusted.

When Nadua went silent again, he almost
turned. He needed the expression of her eyes to give away her
thoughts.

Instead, he changed the subject. “How about
we talk about your abilities?”

Still, she said nothing.

“
Nadua?”

He heard movement in the water again. It
sounded as though she were getting out.

You can turn around now,” she said.

But when he did, he regretted it. She was
perched at the edge of the pool, dripping wet, with only a thin
cloth wrapped around her to conceal her otherwise naked body. Did
she realize how revealing it was? He swallowed hard.

Soaked crimson locks fell heavily over her
shoulders. She tucked a thick strand behind her ear. “I left the
soap over there for you.”

He didn’t look where she pointed; an
explosion couldn’t have ripped his eyes from her. Not when her
nipples beaded through the cloth so perfectly. Droplets of water
rolling over the soft skin of her thighs claimed his attention
next.

Nadua remained still, allowing him to drink
in the sight of her. When he was finally able to drag his eyes back
to hers, he found they had gone violet. He clenched his fists,
struggling to control his need.

Her heated expression relentlessly traveled
his body. If he didn’t put an end to this, they both might regret
what happened next. Unfortunately, his actions were no longer his
own. His lust had quickly overpowered his common sense.

As she watched his every move with heavy
lids, he found himself undoing his pants to show her just what she
was doing to him. She licked her lips.

With the last of his restraint, he offered a
reprieve. “Do you want to turn around?”

Liquid lavender swirled in the depths of her
irises, and she gave the slightest shake of her head. Marik let the
fabric slide free of his grip. Her breath hitched, and her throat
worked hard as swallowed. The softest shade of pink filled her
cheeks.

Entering the warm pool, Marik crossed to
her. To his delight, she didn’t back away when he found a slender
ankle dangling under the water. He traced his way up to her thigh.
Her body shuttered. He kissed one knee and used his other hand to
pull her leg to the side. She offered no resistance.

Lightly touching, he kissed his way up the
skin of her inner thigh. Nadua’s breath caught. The sweet scent of
her desire claimed his mind, demanding he continue.

Pushing the cloth aside, he swiped out with
his tongue and was instantly addicted. Nadua softly gasped as her
head lolled at that simple caress. Needing more, Marik pulled her
closer to the edge of the pool and took her with his mouth, delving
through her soft folds.

Leaning back on her elbow, Nadua ran her
fingers through his hair and boldly lifted one leg over his
shoulder as if to keep him in place.

As if he would go anywhere.

Marik gripped the thigh
resting on his shoulder, keeping
her
in place.

Her moans echoed off the walls, encouraging
him as well as tormenting him. He needed to be inside her. But when
he met the spot that made her cover a scream of pleasure, he did
not relent. Unable to hold herself up, Nadua’s back found the stony
ground. Her hands lay at her sides, digging into the soil.

When she came, her back bowed and she sucked
in one long hard breath, obviously trying to temper her passion.
Marik didn’t like that. He wanted her to scream until all of
Undewla could hear how he pleasured her.

“
Of all the things I’ve
missed, that would be the greatest,” she breathed, sitting
up.

“
I’m not done with you
yet.” Marik’s voice sounded far too husky to be his.

She didn’t argue when he found her waist and
lifted her, cloth and all, back into the pool. Her intense gaze
held him captive as his body came in contact with hers. Hesitantly,
her slender hands came to his chest, and she rested them there for
a moment before allowing them to roam his skin with palpable
curiosity. In the water, the tan cloth danced free of her body,
leaving her open to him. It was driving him wild.