Page 27 of Demonic Division

A low whine echoes along the walls at the use of his nickname, and he shakes his head, seemingly trying to keep the beast at bay. But in the next moment, all humanity is dashed from his eyes, and he continues inching toward me.

“So… hungry…” he rasps, saliva dripping to the floor. My back presses against the wall, and I take a deep breath as he advances. He crouches in front of me, and his palms smash into the stone on either side of my head as he leans in, his voidless black orbs closing as he inhales my scent. “So… mine…”

“Cyprien… please don’t hurt me,” I whisper, my eyes filling with tears. “Please don’t?—”

My voice is cut off as Cyprien lunges forward, crashing his lips against mine. My ears buzz as my veins fill with a heady sensation, and all the oxygen is sapped from the room. My mouth opens helplessly, allowing Cyprien to deepen the kiss. It’s a mess of lips and tongue and raw obsession, but it’s the most alive I’ve felt in years. A moan echoes between us as Cyprien bites down on my bottom lip, raking his teeth across the sensitive flesh, and stars spark behind my eyes.

A metallic taste fills my mouth, but I don’tregister the pain. Not when Cyprien sucks my lip into his mouth and drags his tongue across the wound, lapping it clean.

“Fucking delicious,”he growls.“Just like I knew you’d be.”

A pitiful mewl falls from my mouth as Cyprien reaches down, palming my ass in both hands. He lifts me from the ground, folding my legs around his waist as he deepens the kiss even further. I can’t think, and I can’t breathe, but I don’t want to. All I want, all I’ve been missing, is this right here.

His fingers trail over my skin, inching toward my needy, dripping center. I arch into his grip, wanting to feel himthereright this fucking second.

Of course, before any of that happens, the door slams open, revealing a grumpy blue-haired demon standing in the archway, his chest heaving with anger.

“Take your paws off the naked human, you filthy fucking animal.” Lir steps into the room, his sapphire eyes glowing with fury. “I mean it, Cyprien. Hands off.Now.”

A low growl rumbles from Cyprien’s chest, and all he does is grip me tighter. I let out a squeal as his claws pierce my skin, but it does no good. He can’t hear me. He can’t hear anyone.

“Mine,” he rasps, pulling me impossibly closer.“Mine.”

“No, not yours.” Lir steps farther into the room, eyes narrowed in concern. “You’re going to hurt her.”

Cyprien lets out a low whine but still doesn’t release his hold on me. “No… I want… I need… Dagny.”The last word enters the air in a pained howl, and he buries his face in my neck. “Bunny.”

Lir runs a hand over his face. “I know it’s hard, Cyprien. I know you don’t want to deny the bond any more than you have, but?—”

Lir’s voice is cut off as Cyprien whips his head over his shoulder and looses a vicious snarl.

“Fucking animal,” Lir grumbles. “Remember, I didn’t want to have to do this.”

Nauseating crackles and pops fill the air as Lir transforms. The skin covering his face tightens, stretching over the sharp edges of his cheekbones and brow as his canines lengthen, piercing his lower lip and causing thick blue-black blood to dribble down his elongated chin. Beautiful blue eyes flicker with dark shadows, consuming the sapphire and filling them with swirling shadows as Lir releases an inhuman growl into the air.

In a flash, Lir is across the room, clawed hands wrapped around Cyprien’s throat and squeezing hard. Cyprien’s grip on me falters for the briefest moment, and I’m able to wriggle free. My ass connects with the cold stone floor as a furious growl pours from Cyprien’s open mouth, and I watch in stunned silence as Lir drags him effortlessly to the other end of the room.

Teeth and claws rip through the air in a mindless fury as Cyprien tries to get the upper hand—to get back to me—but Lir is too strong. He pins Cyprien to the floor, and my stomach twists in horror as his jaw hinges open like a snake, showcasing each row of pointed teeth.

Lir lowers his mouth around Cyprien’s throat, holding him to the ground as the latter thrashes. Teeth pierce flesh, causing thick black liquid to flow from the gaping wounds on Cyprien’s neck. But he doesn’t stop fighting.

I clutch my chest, a painful, clenching sensation squeezing the air from my lungs at the sight of his blood pooling across the stone. “Cyprien! You have to stop!”

At my words, he thrashes against Lir’s hold with a new vigor.

“Dagny,” he wails.“Dagnyyy.”

I make eye contact with Lir, but there’s just as much helplessness in his as mine. “Lir… I don’t think he’s going to stop.”

I flick my gaze to Cyprien, and the tugging sensation in my chest intensifies. Using the wall for support, I make my way on shaking legs toward Cyprien and Lir, trying not to think about the fact I’m not wearing a stitch of clothing.

As I draw closer, Cyprien’s struggle eases, and he lays his head back onto the stone, his eyes tracking my every movement. I crouch by his shoulder, and Lir averts his gaze as I reach out to touch his face.

“Cyprien… come back to me.”

His breathing halts at the contact, eyes flicking between black and yellow as he stares up at me. “Come… back… to you…”

He blinks several more times, the color of his irises intensifying with each one. Deadly claws retract as his demonic features fall away to human ones, and soon, I’m blessed with the sight of the Cyprien I know.

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