Princess of Lust (For the Love of Evil) (18 page)

“There will be times when my being able to speak in your mind will be a great boon, so no, I won’t swear that.”

“Then no deal.”

“Fool,” Kirin hissed. “He’s offering you the greatest compliment a demon can and you’re acting like he’s a fishwife trying to sell you a spoiled trout.”

The image of Raum dressed in a shabby dress with his glorious hair hidden beneath a stained kerchief flashed through his mind and he had to cough back a laugh. Raum closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I don’t want to know what that thought was.” He took a deep breath and looked Gregor square in the eye, their gazes locking with an intensity that made Gregor aware of how much older and stronger the demon was than him. “I swear by the glory of God and the will of Satan I will not enter your mind uninvited.”

Kirin gaped at his Master but Gregor ignored him. “In that case, I accept.”

Without another word, Raum drew his dagger and Gregor moved into a defensive stance. Kirin threw his hands into the air and stalked to the other side of the room, muttering something in Greek. Gregor was pretty sure he’d compared his mother to a diseased goat.

Raum ignored his mumbling concubine and extended the dagger to Gregor, hilt-first. “I wish I had time to draw this out, but my men need me on the battle field. Where would you like to exchange blood from?”

The erotic memory of his blood exchange with Natalia burned in the back of his mind and desire began to flame low in his stomach. He’d been deep inside of her, on the edge of orgasm when her small teeth had locked into his flesh, drinking his essence with delicate laps of her tongue. Then she’d ordered him to do the same to her, and at the first taste of her blood, his orgasm had detonated like a bomb, blowing away all his previous notions about pleasure.

The thought of experiencing that pleasure with another man gave him pause even though a part of his soul he tried not to acknowledge loved the idea of touching Raum in such an intimate manner. “Will it, that is…will I…will it feel like it did with Natalia?”

Raum grinned and his heart beat faster. “I’m afraid I don’t have the time right now to take you as you deserve, but yes, it will be similar.”

Part of him wished Raum had lied to him so he could pretend this wasn’t going to be the sensual exchange he feared—
wanted
. Kirin sat on the couch, watching them as he shifted from one tense posture to another. His gaze kept flicking from the knife in Gregor’s hand to Raum and the faint lines around his mouth deepened with worry. Gregor felt a pang of guilt as he tried to see this situation through his friend’s eyes, to imagine Kirin and Natalia in such a situation.

All his life he’d been raised to be a leader, and a good leader always looked after those who trusted in him and never betrayed that trust. He might not be able to make this right, but at the least he could send the beloved of his closest friend and his Mistress into battle the best he could and give the demon one less thing to worry about. Holding Raum’s gaze, he allowed himself to sink into the striations of steel and lavender racing through Raum’s irises and sank into the pleasure of his embrace. Swimming in the warm currents of the demons sensual magic, he brought the knife to his throat and nicked it in the same place Natalia had cut it all those months ago, in Russia, when they’d first met.

The blood welled immediately and began to drip down his neck and he knew he’d cut himself deeper than he had initially intended. Raum made a hungry sound and held Gregor’s hand with the knife in it, slicing along his wrist. Gregor’s stomach clenched as the demon’s glittering blood dripped off his blue skin and onto the floor.

Feeling queasy, he swallowed the flood of saliva in his mouth. “Don’t be insulted if I throw up.” Raum laughed softly and took a step closer. “Then allow me to make this a pleasant experience for you.”

Strong arms wrapped around him, and Gregor stiffened as Raum’s breath warmed the sensitive skin of his throat. All of that glorious moonlight-white hair was held back by a leather thong so he didn’t have the pleasure of feeling the silk-like fall of hair caress his face. Unsure of where to place his hands, he braced them against Raum’s waist and the demon chuckled, sending a wave of desire through Gregor.

“Someday I will have you in my bed, concubine, and when I do, you will never hesitate to touch me again.”

The knife in his hand clattered to the ground the moment Raum’s lips touched his neck, effectively killing any bumbling denial before it could escape Gregor’s mouth. Unlike Natalia’s caressing licks, Raum latched his mouth over the wound and took a deep draw of the blood. Pleasure exploded through every inch of his being and it felt as if the demon were sucking at his cock with each strong pull. A harsh groan seemed to radiate from the pit of his stomach, and he sagged against Raum, as helpless in the face of his desire as he would be standing against a blizzard.

Heat built in his body with each beat of his heart and he wondered if the demon had something in his saliva that drugged him. He didn’t even flinch when Kirin stood behind him, supporting him as Raum continued to drink. Dimly he knew the demon needed nothing more than a drop or two of blood, and was only doing this to torment Gregor, but he couldn’t help but clutch Raum closer to him. Their hard cocks pressed into each other and he shuddered at the sensation.

Kirin murmured something and Raum pulled back, Gregor’s blood dripping off his chin. He swallowed hard at the sight of Raum’s sharp teeth painted with his essence and the wild look in the demon’s gaze. He stared at Gregor as if he hovered on the brink of devouring him, destroying him with pleasure.

Raum raised his wrist, and Gregor watched in fascination as the sparkling blood continued to well and drip. His mortal mind tried to make sense of the scent coming from Raum’s blood but the closest his scattered thoughts could come to describing it was lightning, heat, and the slightly bitter smell of hot metal. Saliva flooded his mouth and Kirin gently stroked his back as he took the first tentative lick of Raum’s blood.

The taste of him filled his soul and raced through his body. Another lick followed and he thrust his hips into Raum and lapped at his wrist. The pounding in his cock was second only to the burning desire invading his mind. Behind him, Kirin groaned and pressed his erection against Gregor’s buttocks, flexing and moving in a solid rhythm that had him thrusting into Raum.

The demon hissed and ran his hands through Gregor’s hair, the slight prickling of his claws showing him how close to losing control the demon was. Normally that thought would have disturbed him, as he tried to deny his attraction to the demon, but now, with his essence filling his mouth, pressed between the two objects of his desire, all it did was excite him even more.

Sweat blossomed on his skin and his balls drew up, tight and aching. The psychic scent of Natalia still hung in the air, having soaked into the stones of this room, and for one moment, he allowed himself to believe she were there with him, feeling all of this. He tried to capture that essence, to draw it into himself, and he swore he could hear his Mistress murmuring his name in her husky voice.

Embracing that thought, that illusion, he pulled back from Raum’s wrist and gasped as the demon reached between them. His protest died in a harsh exhalation as Raum gripped his aching cock. Kirin continued to rock his erection against the swell of Gregor’s ass as Raum licked Gregor’s blood off his lips with a sensual swipe of his tongue. Gripping Gregor’s biceps, Kirin held him as Raum stroked his swollen shaft through his trousers, coaxing the orgasm building in his balls until he bucked and strained against the other man’s touch.

The words escaped him before his mind could stop his treacherous body and soul from begging. “Please, please make me come.”

He gazed into Raum’s eyes, as trapped by them as a mouse looking at a snake. Everything in his body, his soul, stilled for a brief moment of painful pleasure, his need so great that he shook. The demon gave Gregor a wicked smile and cupped his balls with his other hand, detonating the release with one final, punishing squeeze.

The world went white and he screamed as the burning gratification of his orgasm sang through his body. So good, so very, very good—the sensation had him struggling against Kirin’s hold and the scent of his Mistress overwhelmed him. His dick shot stream after stream of seed into his pants and he wished it poured down Kirin’s and Raum’s lips as they both sucked it out of him, fighting each other for the last drop.

Raum growled and grabbed him by the back of his head, devouring him with a kiss. He moaned as Kirin’s grip on his hips turned punishing and returned Raum’s kiss with abandon. For this one moment they weren’t enemies, but lovers. All too soon he knew his mind would surface past the bliss and remind him of why he hated this demon that now carried a part of his soul with him.

Already his body seemed to sing with energy and his muscles spasmed and twitched. Raum pulled back with obvious regret and ran his thumb over Gregor’s lower lip. “Kirin is staying with you tonight.”

He tried to protest, tried to do anything other than moan as his mind burned, new pathways opening in his thoughts. “What…is happening to me?”

Kirin’s voice rumbled next to his ear as he said, “Your mortal body is changing because of Raum’s blood.”

Pain lanced through his stomach and he gripped his sides, struggling to get the words out. “Didn’t feel like this with Natalia.” He glared at Raum before a new cramp shook him. “Poisoned me.”

Raum smiled at him, a gentle smile like one would give a lover, and Gregor tried to snarl back at him. “I did not poison you, concubine.” His eyes fairly glowed with power and he stretched, a long, lean line of muscle and deadly beauty. “I must say, having had a taste of your desire I now know what attracted Natalia to you.” He placed a gentle kiss on top of Gregor’s head. “I regret that I must leave you know. Kirin, my beloved, take care of him.”

Kirin pulled Gregor over to the gold damask couch and laid him on it. “I will.”

He moved over to Raum’s side and the two spoke in whispers, faces so close it was almost kissing but not quite. Gregor curled into a ball of discomfort as cramps racked his body, coming on waves of pain. It hurt too much to do anything other than deal with the agony so he wasn’t sure when Raum left, just that he could no longer feel him in his heart, his soul. Later he’d be angry at Raum’s invasion of his spirit. Right now he just hoped he would survive.

As the churning in his bowels eased he felt a cool, wet cloth on his face, wiping away the sweat. He managed to open his eyes a slit and found Kirin crouched next to him. He must have been out of it for a while because the damned soul had changed into a pair of brown leather pants and his shirt was off. Gregor knew he must be dying because desire for the other man mixed with the pain and he couldn’t seem to make himself care.

Kirin propped his head on some pillows, pausing while another cramp rocked through Gregor’s body. He held up a cut-crystal glass with some amber liquid inside and held it to Gregor’s lips.

As weak as he was feeling, he managed to bat away Kirin’s hand. “Trying…to…poison…me.”

Kirin snorted and took a sip then blew out a breath. “Hardly. It’s a good Irish whiskey. Now stop being such a sniveling baby and drink up.”

Gregor hoped if the drink did make him throw up, he would do it all over Kirin. He took another drink and when that stayed down, drained the rest of the glass. “More.”

Kirin raised an eyebrow but complied, filling the glass again from a crystal decanter on the floor beside the couch. As he watched Gregor drain it, he sat back on his heels and studied him. “Getting drunk will help with the pain, but it won’t take the memories away.”

Gregor attempted sit up, but when his arms shook like a newborn foal’s legs, he settled for glaring at Kirin. “I did it for Natalia.”

Kirin gave him a smirk that told him neither of them believed that lie, but before Gregor could protest his innocence, the fire in his blood flared back to life and the only thing he could think about was the pain. After that wave had passed, he closed his eyes and didn’t pull away when Kirin cleaned the sweat from him again. He became aware of his body again and realized with a start he was naked and lying on top of the sapphire blue comforter from the bedroom. Panic clenched his muscles as he tried to remember being moved and undressed.

“What did you do to me?” he asked, his voice coming out in a raspy whisper.

Kirin must have heard the accusation in his tone because he snorted and ruffled Gregor’s hair in an annoying manner. “Don’t flatter yourself. Right now you look about as appealing as a plague victim.”

His first reaction was to argue the other man still found him attractive, but that seemed too much like fishing for a compliment so he clenched his jaw and stared at the ceiling. His mind kept showing him images of Raum looking into his eyes as he came, to memories of the incredible pleasure, and most humiliating of all, the way he’d begged the demon for his release. Even worse, his cock thickened at the thought of doing it again with Raum, of letting Raum bend him over and take him.

No, no it was a sin. It was wrong; it was an abomination. He laughed, the sound ugly and jagged, as he realized the irony of having those thoughts, here in the heart of Hell. Kirin hummed a low tune as he cleaned Gregor again with efficient strokes of the washcloth, and he silently thanked the other man for not mentioning his erection.

“Think you can stand?”

He gritted his teeth and did the thing he hated the most: ask for help. “If you give me a hand, yes.”

With Kirin’s assistance, he made it to the bedroom before collapsing onto the sheet-covered bed. The scent of Natalia was the strongest here and he’d refused to let the maids change the pillowcases. Done in shades of silver, sapphire blue, and the faintest hints of gold, Gregor had decorated this room himself as a gift to his Mistress. The memory of her pulling him down onto this bed for the first time, the long and leisurely session of lovemaking that had followed, swelled his shaft even further.