Page 45 of Sin and Salvation

Crow groaned, picking up speed as he rammed into me. There was a satisfied grunt as he pulsed deep inside of me, filling my pussy with his come.

But the pressure didn’t leave. We were locked together; the Alpha wrapped his arms around me, pulling me onto the bed so we lay spooning, sweaty and still panting hard, on the silk sheets.

His warmth soaked into me, and I whimpered as his fingers trailed over my thighs and near the too-sensitive flesh.

“Don’t worry,” he said, his breath ruffling my hair. “I’ll let you rest. This is your first time taking a knot, so we have to go slow.”

He was curled around me so that I was still ‘seated’ in his lap, perfectly folded against the contours of my body. My breathing slowly relaxed as he stroked his fingers through my short hair.

“I never told you how pretty this is. You look gorgeous with short hair.”

“Thank you.” I breathed the words, snuggling back against him, closing my eyes. Despite knowing I couldn’t go anywhere, there was nowhere in the world where I could’ve felt safer than with him. "Do you… knot every time?”

“Only when I want to, but you’re my mate.” He nuzzled against the back of my neck, drawing a giggle out of me. “So I’ll knot you every time. And once you’re round with my child, don’t think you’ll be getting off the hook.”

He ran his hand over my stomach.

My breath caught in my throat. With child? Pregnant?

I had never considered having children. It simply hadn’t been a possibility, bound as I was to Maxime. I would’ve found a way to jump off Giraud Tower before bearing his children.

But… once Maxime was wiped from the face of the planet, I’d be truly free. I could aspire to things I’d never considered before.

The thought almost drew a snort out of me, though. I couldn’t strip while pregnant. And if I ever did have a baby, I didn’t think I’d want to continue with that work.

“We’re not… doing that any time soon, are we?” I asked. "Babies weren’t exactly in my plans.”

Crow’s arm tightened around me. “We’ll do it when you want, Venus. For now we’ll get to enjoy having you all to ourselves.”

Relief coursed through me, but there was a bubble of happiness that refused to pop.

I could have children if I wanted. I hadn’t thought far ahead of what happened once I escaped Maxime’s clutches, but now there were so many avenues open to me.

“Good.” I laid my arm over his, lacing our fingers together. “That’s something I’d like to save for the future, when everything is settled.”

“It’s your choice,” he whispered against my shoulder. “And when you’re ready, we’ll be ready.”

A pleasant shiver ran through me. All three of them, vying to make me theirs… and now I knew the secret they’d held between them.

I was their mate. I knew about mates; Alphas could smell which demon was their perfect match. They were the only ones who could instigate the mate bond, but now that Crow had taken me, I would always carry a hint of his smell on me.

And nobody would ever dare to touch me again. Once an Alpha took a mate, he would burn down the whole world before allowing someone else to touch her.

It was the greatest shield he could’ve possibly given me, arming me against Maxime by virtue of being Crow’s alone.

And no demon who wanted to live would ever defy a bond like that.

ChapterTwenty-Two

Iclimbed up on the stage, feeling more like myself than ever.

Crow and I had fallen asleep with his knot in me the night before. When we woke up, he’d carefully eased himself out of my body, stroking me the entire time and whispering words of comfort. I supposed being knotted by an Alpha could be a terrifying experience for a demon who wasn’t ready for it, but I’d been more than ready.

I’d spent the rest of the day with a little more pep in my step. Despite the shock of seeing a demon ripped apart in front of me last night, I no longer felt like I needed to curl up on myself and hide from the world.

I knew perfectly well what it felt like to be fucked by a demon who thought of me as only an object, and Crow had been nothing like that.

It went a long way towards dispelling the fear that they only wanted me for my power.

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