Page 83 of Magic of the Damned

“You have to search,” I encouraged. Dominic slipped off my panties. Exploring every part of me and rewarding me with his devious grin made me forget the main purpose of the search. I shuddered when he inched closer, nipping at my skin. A small moan escaped when his fingers slid over the sensitive parts between my legs, caressing and teasing the aroused area. I bit back the groan of disappointment when he ventured away. The touch promised more. I wanted more. A lot more. Dominic moved to my stomach, teasing me with warm soft kisses. He removed my cami, continuing to deliver the same attention to my nipples until they were painfully erect. Heat washed over me.

The Dark Prince who peddled in torture was subjecting me to a different form of it. I wanted to feel more than his tantalizing light touches, teasing, and erotic bites. Lacing my fingers through his hair, I pulled him to me in a kiss. His tongue explored mine, deep and hungry, and I felt his hardness between my legs as he settled between them. Wrapping my legs around him, I pulled him deeper against me. He taunted me with slight movements of his hips, pressing against me, smirking at my response.

I wanted the Dark Prince. Needed more of his lustful touches and ravenous kisses. The raw primal beast that peeked through made me want to unwrap the whole package.

A deep chuckle reverberated as he took my hands in his and held them over my head. His eyes twinkled with deviance as they held mine.

“Tsk, tsk, Luna. As much as I’m enjoying this, I also have work to do.” The low rumble of his chastisement was contradicted by his soft panting and the ravenous way his fiery gaze took in my body. It made compliance difficult.

I took several breaths. “Okay,” I huffed out between shallow pants. With a nod, he returned to his search, sensual mischief tugging at his lips.

In his typical sweeping grace of movement, he cradled my face. My breathing became sharp irregular bursts as his fingers sank into the crown of my hair. They ran along my ear, along the hairline, into the curve of my neck where he planted delicate kisses before moving me onto my side to continue his exploration. Delicate hands roamed over every inch of me, then slid between my legs to the delicate part between them, sensitive with arousal. The deep throaty way he said my name as he stroked me sent shivers up me. Moving my hips to meet each stroke, pleasure coursed over me, satisfying an ache I had denied too long. It built so much, I craved a release, expressed only in a low, wanton moan. Dominic’s rough low urges had me giving in to the pleasure, seeking more of his touch. Masterful fingers were coaxing me toward a climax. I claimed more of his erotic caresses until I exploded, shuddering over the edge with a sound between a moan and a sigh. Content, I sank deeper into the softness of the bed. Dominic’s body blanketed mine as he whispered in my ear.

“Is it safe to assume you’re enjoying my search as much as I am?” Dark satisfaction draped over his words.

Probably more, but I couldn’t offer him anything more than a feeble nod.

I was startled out of my relaxed pliability when Dominic’s delicate touch turned clinical, pressing firmly against my lower back. The warm breezes of his breath held as tension radiated from him.

“This wasn’t here yesterday,” he said.

“What, my birthmark?” The muted sienna-color marking that looked like a poorly drawn infinity circle was located on the small of my back. At about two inches long, it was just big enough for me to consider tattooing over it, but small enough to escape notice most of the time, depending on what I was wearing.

“It wasn’t there before, Luna.”

My first impulse was to ask him if he was sure, but his rigid scowl and speculative look stopped me. He dressed, slipping on a t-shirt, underwear, and sweatpants so quickly that I didn’t have time to sort through my thoughts. He headed out of the room while I lay there, my mouth slightly open, searching for the right question. The one that would yield the most informative response.

“Peter cloaked my birthmark?”

Dominic nodded. “You weren’t chosen at random. It was a calculated decision, and now I need to figure out why.”

I hauled myself out of the bed, searching for my discarded clothing.

“No. Go to sleep, Luna. You can’t help me with this. I just need to search a few things.” It might have been said in a suggestive tone, but it left no room for debate. He departed with a hurried “Goodnight.”

Sleep didn’t come easy. My mind was chaotic with thoughts and scenarios I couldn’t make sense of. The first time Peter walked into our store, the peculiar man didn’t seem to have any interest in me. Or in anyone. He was just the weird guy with an abundance of useless and useful knowledge who would undoubtedly give you an unrequested history lesson. But his views and words seemed to be skewed toward the loser, reminding anyone who’d bother to listen that history was written by the victors. Several times he’d said that the victors weren’t necessarily the heroes.

As I tossed and turned, I wondered, what was my role in this?

CHAPTER 4

When I did finally fall asleep, it was deeply. Dominic wasn’t in the bed when I awoke. I wasn’t sure if he’d gotten up early or hadn’t returned.

“I’m here.” Anand’s voice rang through the door. I peeked out to find him seated near the bookshelf, flipping through a book. He lifted his eyes, scanned my clothing, and returned to his book. “Breakfast will be ready soon.”

Was there caution in his eyes? Apprehension? Maybe I was reading too much into things because I couldn’t let go of what we’d discovered last night and whether that was the reason Dominic hadn’t returned. Forcing away all thoughts, I ducked back into the room and quickly showered and dressed. Returning to the sitting area, I found Anand now leaning against the door, legs crossed and waiting for me. I was sure his hearing gave him the advantage of knowing my progress as I got ready. The suite was large, but I was doubtful the size would impede his movements.

“Security?” I asked, sidling in next to him as he led me through the house to the kitchen.

“Just company.”

And obviously a lie that he put no effort into making sound convincing. But I didn’t call him out on it because I enjoyed having him around. Seeing him was better than the unsettling camouflaging he did that made it creepy as hell when he allowed himself to be seen.

Prepared to grab something quick, like bread and fruit, I was pleasantly surprised by the vast selection of food in the kitchen. An array of berries, breakfast quiche, sausage, bacon, waffles, and scones was set on the island.

“Will this do, or would you like something else prepared?” a woman asked. I knew of the humans that worked in the underworld, but this was my first time encountering one or talking to any of the people who resided in and cared for the underworld’s mansion. I’d been threatened by Dominic’s security detail, who were human, but had had no other interaction with them.

“No, this is wonderful. Thank you,” I said, curious if she was under some form of compelling spell. Did she not know she was working in the underworld? I studied her eyes more closely, looking for the glossiness that I’d seen in my ex when he was compelled by vampires. The royals possessed a magical equivalent. Instead, I was met with intelligent, knowing eyes. She was aware she was in the underworld, just blasé about it.

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