The Devil You Need (19 page)

I knew that wasn’t true but I couldn’t argue with him as,
one after another, I found myself being greeted by friends and family.

Merriam and Flick were there. They couldn’t stay long.
Merriam explained they were on their way to a war in the sixth dimension. I
chatted with them for a few minutes and, before they left, Merriam tucked a
card in my hand. “In case you ever want a tat like mine. I think a cheeky devil
would be fun.” She grinned. “I’ve seen you admiring my angel.”

I couldn’t help laughing. She was right. I
had
been
admiring her angel. “Thanks. I might just do that. Take care in the wars.”

She squeezed my hand. “I have Flick to protect me.”

That caught me by surprise. In the time Flick and I had
worked together I’d never given him any credit for protecting me. In fact I’d
often felt as if I’d had to protect
him
. But then I realized I really
hadn’t given him much of a chance to do his job.

My bad.

“Astra!” I turned to see Ralph and Bob smiling at me. They
were standing with two spectacularly beautiful women.

“Hey.” I embraced them and shook hands with their dates. “I
can’t believe you guys didn’t warn me about this.”

Bob laughed. “Not a chance. Your sister would have killed
us.”

“Speaking of my sister…” I looked around.

Ralph leaned close, whispering. “I think I saw her and
Slayer disappearing a few minutes ago…before you arrived.”

Bleurgh. My sister was officially tagging my friend and
partner. But I realized the thought no longer alarmed me. I was happy for them.

Now if only I could get Emo attached. I glanced around,
searching for my old friend, and found him standing on the other side of the
room. He was talking to someone but I couldn’t see who it was.

“Mx. Phelps?”

I turned and gave a squeal. “Dr. Lee!” The tall, attractive
Venusian accepted my hug with a smile. “It’s so nice to see you again. And you
brought Mr. Lee too.”

The seven-foot-tall, white-haired man with pale, triangular
eyes frowned. “That’s Captain Lee to you, Phelps.”

I laughed. “Do you always come to a party fully armed?”
Captain Lee was dressed in his ugly brown uniform, the front crisscrossed with
sheathed knives.

“I’ve spent time around you Phelps. I know how this usually
goes.”

He had me there. “I think those days are behind me. At least
I hope they are.”

Captain Lee just snorted, highly amused.

“There she is.” Slayer grabbed me into a hug, lifting me off
the floor and swinging me around. “I never thought you’d make it. But I have to
say, you found one hell of a way to survive your Settling.”

Only Slayer could make fun of the most painful time in my
life and survive it. I stuck my tongue out at him. “You’re an ass.”

He waggled his brows. “Don’t stick that thing out there
unless you plan to use it.”

I had to laugh at him. He was just so stupid.

Darma gave me a hug while glaring at her new boyfriend.
“Congratulations, Astra. I have to admit I wasn’t sure any of us were going to
survive your Settling. But somehow we did.”

“Yeah.” A sudden wave of sadness washed over me as I thought
about our mother. Darma had taken that bit of news better than I’d thought she
would. Apparently she was tougher than I’d ever guessed. “It’s been a mess, but
I think everything turned out okay.”

It was a couple hours later and I was well into my sixth or
seventh glass of bubbly when Dialle dropped a heavy, warm arm over my shoulders
and pulled me close for a kiss. “Are you having fun, my love?”

“I am. But it isn’t quite the fun I had in mind.”

“We’ll get to that fun shortly. Have you seen Brina? I need
to talk to her about the renovations to the throne room.”

I shook my head. “No business. She deserves a night off just
like we do.”

He frowned past me. “It’s just as well. It appears she and
your incredibly annoying ex-partner have their own business to discuss.”

I turned my head to follow his line of sight. Emo and Brina
had their heads together in a seemingly intimate moment of conversation.

A brief jolt of jealously sliced through me but then I
realized it was good. I loved Emo, but not in the way I loved Dialle. I wanted
him to be happy. As I watched him smile and drop his head closer to Brina’s,
one hand wrapping possessively around her arm, I realized he was finding his
own happiness.

And that was a good thing.

“Are you ready to go, my love?”

I sighed. “Yeah. I am.” I looked up into his face. “But
don’t think I won’t get you back for keeping this from me.”

“I did not work alone. Gerch and your sister were charged
with keeping you busy today while we prepared your party.”

I shook my head. “I’ll get them too.”

I said my goodbyes and then Dialle touched my arm and we
shifted away.

* * * * *

The world returned in a spray of silver lights sparkling in
the night sky. A soft, sweet breeze drifted over my skin and I smiled. I turned
in his arms to take in my favorite sight. In the distance, the Angel City
skyline glowed a soft gold, blocking out the stars. Dialle had shifted me to
the roof of the huge warehouse building that served as the Royal Devil Court.
It was my favorite place to get away from it all.

Over the last weeks, Dialle and I had gotten in the habit of
spending a few hours there every night to de-stress after the challenges of
pulling our kingdom back together.

Sparkling snow suddenly fell from the sky and I turned my
face upward, laughing as Glynus and Spence did a fly-by, dropping the icy
sparkles from buckets strapped to their bellies.
Happy Birthday, mother
Tweener.

Thanks, Tadpole. I’m glad you came by, I’ve been thinking
about you.

Snoopy and I wouldn’t have missed this day for anything.
Did you eat some cake for me?

I did. And some for Snoopy too.
I wasn’t really
kidding. I’d eaten enough cake to last me a lifetime.

I waved and blew her a kiss. Watching the two love-dragons
gliding gracefully away, I sighed. The tension of the day evaporated as strong
arms wrapped around me from behind and I leaned back, against a delightfully
warm, deliciously firm chest.

“I missed you today, my love.”

I covered his arms with my own, enjoying the feeling of
soft, black hairs covering golden skin underscored by firm muscle. “I’ve missed
you too.” I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck, smiling up at him.

He arched a dark eyebrow. “Truly?”

I rubbed a thumb over the soft fullness of his bottom lip.
“Yep. I’ve been thinking about seducing you for hours.”

He pressed his hips closer and I realized he was no longer
clothed. “I love you, my queen.”

Though his words sent joy skittering through me, I feigned
displeasure, frowning. “You know, all talk and no action makes for a very
unhappy queen.”

His frown was no more real than mine. “Then we must remedy
that.” He grabbed me and leapt into the air. I squealed, clinging tightly to
his neck as we flew backward and down, landing in a cloud of softness.

I laughed, realizing he’d brought our bed to the roof.
Dialle kissed my laughing lips and humor transformed quickly to heat. Searing
heat that pulled the breath from my lungs in a gasp and sent tiny spikes of
awareness spearing through me. My arms and legs encircled him as his kiss
deepened, his tongue tangling with mine.

My body was drawn to his like a bidgie bug to an air vehicle
viewport and I suddenly couldn’t get close enough. I ran my hands over the
firm, silky muscles of his back, then moved lower, to enclose the pert
roundness of a truly delectable ass. I caressed his softly furred calves with
my legs, grinding myself against him as the fire between us grew.

Dialle’s breath fanned my face. His soft lips pressed a
delicious trail over my cheeks, along my jaw, and against my throat. He pressed
the long, hard length of his cock into my belly as his hands slipped over my
hips and caressed my thighs.

My pussy clenched and moistened with lust. I’d been thinking
about making love to my own personal devil all day, but the reality was so much
more powerful than my anticipation. His scent wrapped around me like a blanket,
turning lust to agonizing need. The feel of his skin against mine created an
answering rush of blood that made each touch a revelation.

Dialle kissed his way over my collarbone and lower, to
encompass each painfully rigid nipple in heat, tugging them gently with his
teeth. I came off the mattress as bliss stabbed my belly, twisting more tightly
with every pull on the sensitive nubs.

He moved lower, bathing the skin over my ribs in heated
kisses and lower still, to nip at my quivering belly. My hands found the silken
strands of his midnight hair and twined there, urging him to drop even lower as
my pussy pulsed with expectation.

Dialle didn’t disappoint.

When he covered the throbbing nub of my clit with his hot
mouth I cried out, my back bowing under a jolt of sheer pleasure. Dialle nursed
gently on the sensitive nub, drawing my pleasure to the surface with exquisite
care. The coil of need in my lower belly tightened impossibly, creating an
almost painful tension that his ministrations only enhanced.

My fingers stiffened against his scalp and my muscles grew
taut as release danced just out of reach. When his lips increased their
pressure on my sexual core, I felt the edge of my resistance crumbling out from
under me. A wash of heat bloomed, ushering a wave of pleasure as my body
finally succumbed to release.

I cried out, my hands convulsing in his hair, and let the
delicious feelings spread like an explosion through my thrashing limbs. My
pussy was still convulsing in the aftermath as he climbed my body and buried
himself deep.

Fire blossomed. Searing pleasure. My pussy accepted his
rigid girth and embraced it in a softly convulsive grip. He sucked in a
surprised breath as the final contractions of my orgasm milked his flesh. His
mouth covered mine in a ravenous kiss.

His lips moved hungrily over mine. Tasting, exploring, and
savoring the touch of our skin, the sweet taste of lust, and the muted promise
the touch engendered. He moaned softly as he thrust within me. Flame surrounded
us, crackling and flaring in multicolored hues that grew higher as the fever
built.

As my pleasure heightened, I became aware of another
sensation, a separate, biting need that compelled me to words when I would have
preferred just to embrace sensation. My throat burned where Dialle had once
marked me. As if drawn to the sting there, Dialle’s lips left mine and
travelled lower, finding the exact spot and tasting it.

Sparks spit at his touch, delicious pain seared, and in that
moment I knew.

“Mark me, Dialle.”

His head came up and a black gaze, swirling with the colors
of passion, met mine. “Are you certain, my love?”

I swallowed hard, terrified. Not at the idea of being forever
and completely joined with my delicious devil, but that I would let him down
again. Losing my magic had turned me into someone I hadn’t recognized. It had
changed me…irrevocably. Though I had my magic back I knew I was no longer the
person I’d once been.

I was older, yes. Wiser, definitely. But I was also more. So
much more. That was when doubt fled me. In that moment I realized. Whatever I
was…whatever I’d become…I was Dialle’s and he was mine.

And we would make the most of every moment we were destined
to share.

“Yes. I’ve never been more sure.”

The reds and purples of passion whirled more swiftly in his
black-velvet gaze and his lips curved upward in a heart-rending smile. “I love
you, Astra Q. Phelps.”

“I love you too, Dialle the Second. But more than that. I
need you. I need you more than anything. And that doesn’t even scare me
anymore.”

He touched my lips in a tender kiss and arched his hips to
thrust deep. I threw back my head in a delighted gasp and his mouth covered the
tender spot that called to him.

Pain. Fierce and crisp. Exquisite pain shot through me as
his fangs pierced skin. I screamed long and hard—not with agony, but from the
unparalleled bliss of his marking. My body trembled under an inconceivable
groundswell of pure delight, wave after wave of it crashing through me.

Bright, colorful lights flashed before my eyes. Flame
engulfed us, sizzling but not burning, simply mirroring our sensual journey. My
pussy convulsed in the most violent orgasm I’d ever experienced.

Suddenly I wanted Dialle to enjoy the same pleasure he was
giving me. My lips found a tender spot at the base of his throat and I sucked
it, hard, biting down as he threw back his head and screamed with pleasure.

His cock spasmed hard in my pussy as he came, his fingers
sliding into my hair to hold me against his throat. For just a split second our
pleasure became one, morphing into something so strong it swept me over into
another violent release.

I moaned his name, my voice husky with emotion, as I
convulsed around him again. Moments later we sagged down onto the bed, spent
and weak from the power of our joining.

Dialle pulled me close and kissed my forehead, his touch
exquisitely tender. I nestled close with a sigh. “Every time just gets better
and better.”

“Yes.” He kissed my lips softly, with lingering tenderness.
“Thank you, my love.”

I sighed. “For what?”

“For letting me claim you again. This mark will not break.
It is forged under mutual love and need.”

I nodded, pulling one of his fingers into my mouth to nibble
and suck. He closed his eyes, smiling.

I grinned, my devil coming out in a big way as I saw him
relaxing. I reached to touch the spot on his throat where I’d bitten him. It
was marked with a tear-shaped daemon hickey, which I suspected matched the one
he’d just given me. “This one too?”