The Dragon's Bride (A Deal With a Demon 1)

“You were married before.” His tail shifts against my back, tucking me closer yet. “That’s why you made your bargain with Azazel.”

I don’t particularly want to talk about my past, but it’s hard to cling to that when I’m so far beyond Ethan’s reach. If the blood on Azazel’s hands was any indication, I’m out of his reach forever.

I won’t shed my fear so easily, won’t stop looking over my shoulder when I finally return to my realm. Being here? Like this? It almost feels like a dream. Like nothing bad can touch me.

Dangerous thoughts.

You’re disassociating.

Maybe. Maybe it’s pure self-preservation, but until Sol gives me a reason not to trust the demon contract, I can let this comfortable numbness twine with my curiosity for a little longer. “Yes,” I finally say. “I do believe he intended to kill me before he let me go. My husband, I mean. Not Azazel, of course.” My voice doesn’t sound quite right.

A hiss rattles through Sol’s chest. “You must think highly of me to expect me try seducing you when you’re practically bleeding out at my feet.”

I sit up. “I’m not bleeding. Azazel healed my wounds. Or had someone else do it.”

He jolts, and I realize that was exactly the wrong thing to say. Sol looks down at me, and for the first time, I realize how warm his dark eyes normally are, because they’re not right now. They’re cold and dangerous, and I’ve never been more reminded that he is predator and I am prey than in this moment.

I do what all prey animals do when running means death. I freeze.

He holds me captive with that stare for several torturous beats of my racing heart. “You insult me.”

Common sense says to shut the hell up, but my common sense has gone the way of my fear, smothered beneath numbness and curiosity and the tiniest spark of desire. He’s angry at me, yes, but he’s also angry on my behalf. It’s strange. “Why wouldn’t you want sex if I were offering? I thought all men want sex all the time?” That’s certainly how Ethan acted.

His hisses louder. “Fine, Briar. Would you like to know how sex would work with us?” His tail loosens around me, taking its glorious warmth with it, and he slides his arm from my shoulders to the back of the couch. I’m adrift, which makes his next words hit like hammer blows. “I’m not interested in splitting you in half, so I’ll rip off whatever charming little dress you’re wearing with my teeth and then taste you until you’re riding my tongue and begging for more. Then, if I’m feeling particularly generous, I’ll give you both my cocks, one at a time.”

“Wait,” I whisper.

He leans down, his hot breath ruffling my hair. “And then I’m going to fill you up, Briar. How much of me can you take? There’s only one way to find out.”

My body takes off while my mind is still trying to process the full depth of his promise. I’m on my feet with no memory of making the decision to stand. “You are such an asshole.” I flee the room, but not so quickly that I miss his low statement biting at my heels.

“If you’re so determined to think me a monster, then I’ll play monster for you.”

It’s not until I find my way back to my room, heart still beating too hard and breath coming too fast, that I realize what just happened. I ran. And he didn’t chase me.

I slam the door, and I can’t decide if I’m angrier at him or myself. I blundered that, and badly. I had to rely on Sol to slam us back into safe territory, because if he’d flirted a little and kept up that intoxicating warmth against my body, I might have forgotten all my determination to stay away from him and done something unforgivable.

It’s the numbness’s fault.

Or maybe my curiosity is to blame.

I drop onto the edge of the mattress and curse. It feels good to snarl words that would have gotten me into danger with Ethan, so I do it again. “That fucking asshole.” I don’t know if I’m talking about Sol or Ethan or maybe even myself. I stand and drag my hands through my hair.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m not acting like my usually careful, cautious self. There is nothing careful or cautious about dangling sex in front of Sol to see what he’d do. Because that’s exactly what I was up to when I asked that question.

Well. I know what he’ll do now.

Pacing about the room does little to bleed off the adrenaline surging through my system. That must be to blame for the images that take up residence just behind my eyes. Of Sol ripping through this dress with those sharp teeth, of him bearing me down to the ground and spreading my legs with rough, but careful, movements. His mouth is so big, he’d have to practically encase me to get his tongue to my pussy. I shiver at the bolt of pure lust that nearly takes me off my feet.