Page 29 of Chained to the Devil's Daughter

“Fine, then. You go first.” She perked up on my lap, a petite braid falling loose from the ribbon she’d used to tie it at the crown of her head.

Whoever went first stated something, and if the other player had ever done it, they had to do whatever dare was cooked up. Honestly, the princess had never been great at this game. I think she only kept it alive because she liked my promiscuous dares. Tugging the ribbon loose, I untangled one and then another, running my fingers through her chocolate hair. Tension eased in her shoulders.

“If you’ve ever spent the night in a brothel, then. . .”

She barked a hushed laugh. I raised my brow in mock suspicion, playing the jealous lover. I didn’t necessarily care, it was more that I yearned to know every bit of the woman she’d become in my absence. She bit her lip, the action stealing my attention, but I tugged the strands mid-braid.

“You’re still on that, hmm?” she played coy now, but another tug on her hair and I was nipping at her ear, my other hand grazing the voluptuous swell of her breast. “Fine, well, I haven’t.” She paused a beat, deciding my fate. “Thenyou’venever recited Soots Sitting Seaside while sucking your thumb.”

I scowled, detangling from her hair. I leaned back on one hand, the other lifting shamefully to my mouth. Searra clapped with glee, her ass wriggling on my lap the only thing that redeemed this childishness.

“Thoots thitting thee-thide, theven en ah row. Theven thooths thweeeping—”

“Sixsoots sweeping.”

“Thix thooths thweeping thoft-ly—”

“Sleepily.”

“Thleep—okay, enough.” I shook my head, slammed her chest flush against mine, and tried to silence the laughter as it left her mouth, but it poured out the edges of our kiss. “Let’s move on.”

“That is not how this works,Ath-ren!” I growled through my smile and grabbed handfuls of her ass, squeezing, letting my claws rip into the soft fabric of her thin nightgown. “Fine! Ifyou’veever spent the night in a brothel, then . . .”

Vines of darkness weaved in my chest. Though there was no way she’d anticipated this line of questioning, insecurity danced behind her words. I could say the bland truth and ask my penance. Whatever she would have me do this time would be much worse than a nursery rhyme.

“Never in the way you mean.” I decided to break the rules instead of her heart, even if it would be for only a moment. A bitter laugh escaped me as regret laced my bloodstream like a vile drug. “A younger me would be glad you heard the rumors.”

“You wanted to hurt me like I hurt you.”

“Devilhurtus.” I tilted her chin to stare past her guilt-ridden eyes straight into her soul. “You did nothing wrong.”

“I let him send you away.”

“Forgetting for a moment that he’s a centuries-old demon warped with power madness, who’s to say we’d be here right now if you’d miraculously stopped him?” I grasped her waist and gave a gentle tug. “Would you have hated me like I thought I wanted you to? Taken a mate? Would you have a rebellion for me to crash?”

“I could never hate you.” A tear glistened on her cheek and I instinctively licked it, salt bursting on my tongue. “Never, Ash.”

“Don’t know, glow worm. I can be rather persuasive.” I forced her hips to roll over mine and burrowed into the crook of her neck, breathing in her sweet scent like oxygen. “You have no idea how much I missed you.”

“Oh, really?” she scoffed, a quiver still in her voice. I kissed the sultry column of her neck to dissuade her, but her glower never faltered. It was adorable, like a kitten and a rainbow fucked and her anger was their offspring. “Rings, Ash, it physically hurts to miss you so much.”

“I know,” I said gently, nipping her chin.

She swatted me away and squirmed on my lap, glowering harder. No doubt I could wipe that look off her face. Hands gripping the gentle roll of her perfect birthing hips, I crushed her hot sex against my cock. Her eyes lolled, then snapped back into place with a dim glare. A feral grin strained my cheeks.

“You forker,” she mumbled. Even her stern frown couldn’t hide that I’d won this round.

“That’s royal fucker, miss, or have you forgotten?”

Tugging her nightgown out from between us, I traced the edges of her spine, salivating when her breasts heaved towards me. Without thinking, I buried my face between them, the gauzy fabric ticklish as a spider’s silk.

“I-I believe your services are needed.”

“I’ll not slack on my duties.”

“Let me see you,” she whined. “I promise to look and not touch.”

“Woman, you may do whatever you wish with me. Look. Touch. It all belongs to you.”

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