Page 57 of The Devil and His Goddess

This wasn’t my first time kissing Perseus like this, but itwasthe first time I’d done so whileknowingit was him. The knowledge of who this man was pressed up against me, who stroked my hands with his thumbs, who sealed my lips in a hungry kiss was like flying too close to the sun—hot and dangerous, yet freeing and bright.

The sharp burst of pleasure that followed the deep and brutal kiss had the tension seeping out of my limbs. His hands squeezed mine lightly as he stepped into me, forcing me back against the wall. He didn’t release my hands, but instead, pinned them by my sides as he continued to kiss me senselessly.

When he finally pulled back with a light nip on my bottom lip, he whispered, “All better.”

I was practically delirious. I had to blink multiple times and rub my swollen lips together to finally gather my bearings. As I regained my breath, I realized what he’d said and looked at his torso. Sure enough, the tan skin beneath the torn fabric of his blood-soaked white dress shirt was sealed. Not only was there no longer a mangled open wound, but other than a slight redness to the area, there were no signs of any injury ever having been there at all.

My eyes widened. I shook my head to ensure I wasn’t imagining things from the strange mix of panic and lust still clouding my mind. “Ho—How—”

Perseus chuckled beneath his breath and gave my hand another light squeeze. “Your kiss must be magic. My own perfect medicine.”

All of the fear-driven adrenaline paired with the outrageous reality staring me in the eye piled up with his absurd reasoning. It was all too much, and I let out a disbelieving laugh despite myself.

“I want to say you’re lying, but I don’t understand a damn thing anymore.”

Perseus’s lips twitched, but that was the only sign he’d heard me. He let go of my hands to take off his ruined dress shirt, and that eye-candy wasn’t helping my sanity levels. He wiped the remaining wet blood off of his defined abs, and just as he turned to seemingly throw it at Drake’s unconscious body, he froze.

I followed his line of sight, and with a dizzying wave of alarm, I realized Drake, along with his knife, was gone.

Chapter 21

Harper

“FUCK,” PERSEUS CURSED UNDER HIS breath.

His mounting anger was a sign that he’d come to the same conclusion I had—Drake must’ve woken and taken the opportunity to escape while Perseus and I were panicking, talking, or kissing.

Perseus’s black-and-red slitted eyes closed, and he rubbed at his forehead. “I should’ve killed him instead of knocking the bastard out.” He dropped his hand, and when he looked back at me, the ire he’d worn was replaced by a worried frown. “Did he hurt you?”

I stared at the spot where Drake’s body had been, unable to tear my eyes away. It took many seconds before I managed to get my tongue to work. “No,” I croaked. “Not really.”

A finger crooked beneath my chin. Gently turning my face to his, Perseus ordered, “Hold onto me.”

Without hesitating, I wound my arms around his waist. In the next instant, my vision filled with black shadows, and when they cleared a moment later, I found myself swaying on my feet in my bedroom.

“Lock yourself in here,” Perseus directed as he stalked around my room, checking beneath my bed and in my closet. “I’m going to make sure he’s really gone.”

I opened my mouth to tell him it wasn’t safe for him to wander the house alone with a psycho potentially here, but then I remembered what Perseus was. The black horns, claws, and demonic eyes were a good reminder. He wasn’t a mere human, mortal and open to physical harm.

Swallowing down my argument, I hugged my arms around myself and nodded. “Okay. Th—Thank you.”

Perseus slipped out of my room, and I locked the door as he’d instructed. I huddled at the head of my bed, squeezing a pillow as my mind raced to catch up with everything that had just happened.

Because holy fuck, it wasa lot.

Drake was my stalker. The bashful, friendly guy that I’d worked with for the past two years was actually twisted and convinced that we were lovers.

I briefly wondered if I should call the police to report what had happened so they could track him down and arrest him, but what would I say?

Hey. This guy broke into my house and nearly attacked me, but thankfully, my demonic boss showed up to stop him. By the way, the only reason he got away was because we were too busy making out right after to heal his stab wound. Can you help me?

I rolled my eyes and buried my face in the pillow I clung to. It was so ridiculous. There was no way I could go to the police about this, not with Perseus being involved. Which led me to my next issue.

Perseus was ademon.

A demon I’d fucked around with onmultipleoccasions.

All the moments I’d fooled around with the demon flashed through my mind. Waking up to him tormenting me with my vibrator. Squirting on him. Making out while another man attempted to eat me out. Dry-humping each other in the alley while I called out Perseus’s name.

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