Page 170 of Devil's Deal

I’m not afraid. I don’t even know what he’s saying, because another wave of bliss rolls through me, making my body sizzle with too much heat. I don’t think I was made to contain so much exquisite energy, yet it’s here, and I have no choice but to take it.

The devil slams into me with powerful thrusts and roars his release. He pushes deep, and suddenly, yes, there is pain. All around my entrance, sharp thorns slide into me, dozens of them stabbing my hot, oversensitive flesh. I howl with shock, and Woland shushes me, speaking raggedly through his own, shuddering orgasm.

“It will be over soon. I’m sorry, darling. I’m so sorry.”

And then, just like he promised, the pain stops. The area where he’s embedded grows cool and then hot, and suddenly, I claw at his back and shake, because another potent wave of pleasure floods me, so much worse, so much stronger, pure magic distilled into bliss.

He says something, holding me close, but I don’t hear him through the roaring in my ears. I’m suspended in a void, and everything is bliss so powerful, it burns me from within until I’m empty and pure.

It lasts an eternity, and yet, when it ends, it’s still night. Woland’s magical lights wink at me from the canopies, bright and blurry, because my eyes don’t have the energy to focus.

The tension in my body releases, and I collapse into cushions damp with my sweat, all my strength wrung from me.

“It’s over now. You were so good,” he murmurs, stroking my hair. “You were the first I did it to. The first. The dearest. I’m so sorry.”

I take a shaking breath, then another. I wiggle my toes. Gather my resolve. When I finally feel like I can move, I try to slide out from under him, but I can’t. My entire core tingles. My body doesn’t separate from his, tingling harder the more I try to escape.

My vision swims and it takes effort to see, but I manage to look at his face, still above me. His neutral mask is in place, and for a moment, it hurts to see him so detached. I don’t understand what’s happening.

“We’ll have to stay like this for some time,” he says, sensing the question I want to ask, though my voice hasn’t returned to me yet. “Here.”

He rolls us gently, pulling my leg on top of his hip as he goes. I hiss when the movement tugs at my core with powerful tingles. It feels like we’re sewn together, the stitches pulling, though without pain.

We are on our sides, facing each other. He presses me into his chest, and I lie on his arm, his other hand stroking my spine.

It takes a moment before I can speak.

“Why are we stuck?”

I sound like my vocal cords are scratched raw. Euphoria still courses through me freely, exploding with small, random bursts across my skin. It feels like the pleasure is in my very bloodstream, spreading everywhere like a disease. It doesn’t feel natural, but I am too spent, too satisfied to question it much.

Maybe I’ve simply reached my limit for all the good, pleasant things. Maybe I need a stab of suffering to even things out.

“Because I want to make sure you get pregnant,” Woland answers calmly, like it’s a perfectly reasonable thing to say.

I don’t have a strong reaction to his words. Everything inside me is overwhelmed and stuffed full, so it takes me a moment to even understand his meaning.

“Why?” I ask, my even tone matching his.

He snorts without amusement. “You surprise me. I expected rage and struggle, but it seems I fucked you so well, you can’t even get angry yet. Or maybe it’s the venom. I was curious how you’d react. Anyway, I’m glad. It would hurt you if you tried to pull away now.”

The world lurches around me, and I still don’t understand what’s happening. All I know is that something is very wrong. He sounds detached and cool, all the warm, reverent affection gone from his voice. He seems like a completely different person. When I try to crane my head back to look at his face, he presses me closer to his chest, not letting me move.

The pendant that’s his collateral digs in between my breasts.

“Stay. There’s nothing you can do,” he says, so cold, a chill crawls up my spine. “Besides, you said I could.”

I start shaking, and it’s so very strange. He’s still inside me, warm and hard, the echoes of our lovemaking fresh in my mind, but I feel suddenly rejected. I am cold and alone, even though I’m in his arms. He keeps stroking my back, but the movement is repetitive and mindless, like he’s bored.

“What venom?” I ask after a moment, swallowing with difficulty.

I know I just need time and answers, and everything will fall into place. I can’t give into despair, not before I understand what’s going on.

I shove the burning betrayal and hurt deep down. It’s what I’m good at. What I’ve always done when people rejected me.

“My thorns release a kind of venom,” he answers easily, his chest rumbling against my face. “Its purpose is to soothe the pain when I lock in and to heighten your pleasure and fertility. Though you shouldn’t need it. I’ve watched your cycle and I know you’ll be at peak fertility within a few days. This is just a precaution to make sure the pregnancy takes.”

It finally penetrates deep into my awareness. Woland wants me to get pregnant from him.

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