Page 16 of Undesirable
Riku fought a fresh wave of tears. Lucifer didn’t talk like this. He was more of an ‘I’ll see you dead before I see you with anyone else’ type of guy. He didn’t expect Lucifer to be soft. In his position, he couldn’t be. Demons would tear him to shreds. But Riku was guilty of wanting a little softness just for him. He craved being special and seeing a side of Lucifer no one did. Instead, Frost got the sweet Lucifer.That hurt.
“To be fair, I call Frost an idiot pretty often.” Riku cringed. Sometimes he forgot Lucifer heard his every thought. Still, Lucifer explained himself when he didn’t have to. “But he chose to be my friend even knowing who I am. I suppose that’s new for me. But I don’t feel the same way about him as I do about you. You should know that. All you have to do is reach inside my head and take whatever you want. That’s your right as my mate.”
He liked to think Lucifer shut him out, so he didn’t have to face the truth. Riku was scared of what he would find if he looked too closely at Lucifer’s mind. He wasn’t strong enough to feel the resentment of being paired with him. Riku had walked away from everything tocome here. He couldn’t look and see his sacrifice had been for nothing.
Stop. What did you walk away from? Heaven? You were barred from that place because of me. Wulfe? It’s cold there. Until recently, you kept yourself separate from the townspeople. Yuri? He’s here and I doubt we’ll be seeing the backside of him soon if Brownie gets his way. I know you chose a new plane—a deadly one—for me, but fuck. I love you. Are you telling me you lost more than you gained? If so, we’re doomed.
Riku went still inside at Lucifer’s confession. Surely, he hadn’t read those thoughts clearly. Taking risks always worked best with Lucifer. He would keep doing that.You’re right about Yuri. That’s not what I meant. Ilove you with everything I have to give. Knowing I have to see and feel the disappointment in you every time we make love is killing me. You’ll always be missing something with me. I can’t feed you.The confession fell before he even realized how he truly felt. If Lucifer needed blood, Riku wanted to provide it. He wanted to be all things to his mate, especially since Riku could never bite him.
Lucifer’s hands ran down Riku’s back before cupping his ass and squeezing. “I think you’re forgetting that I drank your blood to claim you and nothing bad happened.”Not for that reason, anyhow.
Riku’s head shot up. His gaze moved over Lucifer’s face. For the first time, he forced his way inside and saw that night through Lucifer’s eyes. The visionof him covered in blood with no memory of what he had done hit him with enough power to steal his breath. Lucifer’s pain was too much. Riku had to withdraw.
“I’m sorry.” He swiped his lips across Lucifer’s. “I’m so fucking sorry I couldn’t see a path for us before Yuri made things sound so simple.”
Lucifer held him away and stared at him at the confession. He felt Lucifer shifting through his memories. A smile exploded across his face as he brought the memory of Yuri fixing things to the forefront of Riku’s brain. “That’s it. My dog is getting a dog.”
A laugh burst from Riku. It died as his clothes disappeared. Lucifer never had the patience to undress himproperly. He let it slide. Not only did he know Lucifer didn’t feel well enough to expend that much energy, but he had fallen in love, knowing Lucifer had no patience. It was a hallmark of his personality.
Riku didn’t have to undress Lucifer. He had never gotten dressed again after their disastrous last try. He wasn’t useless, though. Lube appeared in his hand. He enjoyed watching the lust grow in Lucifer’s eyes as he watched Riku oil his asshole. There were some benefits to taking a bit of extra time. Teasing could be fun. Riku didn’t move fast. He slowly lowered himself onto Lucifer’s waiting cock. Lucifer’s aroused expression made the torture worthwhile. He felt the way Lucifer wanted to take control, but he barely had enough energy to stay conscious as it was. Only his desireto connect with his mate outweighed the heaviness of his eyelids. Riku felt all of that and took care of everything. He rocked on Lucifer’s dick, tormenting himself. He stroked his erection while Lucifer watched. Riku gave him a show while taking the pleasure he wanted. His gums itched with the desire to bite and claim his rights, but that would never be. He had to let that go. Some of his mate was better than none. Riku would take this over anything with anyone else.
“Come here.” Lucifer towed Riku closer. His fingernail grew into a claw, and he sliced his neck. “Fix it. You don’t have to bite.” His voice turned seductive, luring Riku the way he did souls to their doom. Riku knew that and didn’t care. Lucifer was right. There were waysaround biting. His gums still ached, but the moment Lucifer’s blood filled his mouth, Riku forgot everything. An orgasm exploded through him, coming from his spirit. He shook as he feared for his sanity and then Lucifer bit him. Riku heard colors. He saw sound. It was euphoric and what he imagined felt like an LSD trip. He floated in the clouds as his body jerked with ecstasy. Riku didn’t miss the sounds Lucifer made or the way he pumped Riku full of cum. He didn’t miss a thing. Riku had never been more connected in his life.
I love you, my mate. This is no half-life.
As the words brushed his brain, tears filled Riku’s eyes. He was right. This wasn’t half of anything. It waswhole-ass perfection. Riku would treasure this for eternity.
Lucifer had no idea how long he slept. That was not something he usually did. His body needed repair. The house seemed unusually quiet as he padded his way into the sitting room. Riku sat reading with two heads on his lap. He took turns mindlesslypetting the two. The contentment filled the air with peace.
Riku glanced up as he entered the room. “Hey. You’re back to full strength.”
Brownie immediately leaped from the couch and went on alert as if expecting admonishment for being lazy.
Lucifer didn’t correct the behavior. In the world of hellhounds, softness got a doggie killed. While Brownie was mostly protected by his position, others would still push him, trying to take his spot. Truthfully, he was irreplaceable. He wasn’t Lucifer’s guard. Lucifer didn’t need a guard. He was Lucifer’s fur baby. Of course, he would eat nails before he admitted that.
Riku’s smile said he read Lucifer’s thoughts.
Lucifer had to move along. He filled the spot Brownie vacated. “What are you reading?”
“Smut.” Riku smiled unrepentantly. “It’s highly unrealistic. I love it.”
Lucifer chuckled at the happiness in Riku’s voice. It was the first time he had felt normal in… he had no idea. Time had stopped having any meaning forever ago. It seemed so strange for this to be the life he wanted, but it was. Just his man and two dogs with nothing to do but whatever they chose. A family. His throat swelled. He had to go to the torture room and remind himself of his position. Lucifer couldn’t start thinking about Celeste doing this for him. It was so much easier to hate her.
“I have to check on things and make sure no one is getting ideas about overthrowing me. One day out of sight is out of mind for these fuckers.”
Riku smiled. “Okay.” He sounded unbothered.
Lucifer poked at Riku’s brain. To his shock, Riku truly was fine with whatever Lucifer needed to do to keep this mess under control. He saw Lucifer’s position as just that—his place in the universe. Beyond that, Riku saw himself as Lucifer’s peace. That was his place, and he wanted it. He blew Lucifer away. Lucifer stole a kiss. He took his time, making sure Riku missed him. Lucifer forced himself to stop before he chose tostay. An uprising would take way more time than a simple torture session. He had to get to work.
Lucifer stood. “Tell your friend goodbye, Brownie. It’s time to go to work.”
Lucifer!The panicked scream tore through his mind. His gaze shot to Riku. Riku shot to his feet, as if he heard it too.
“Frost.”
They raced to the bedroom. As they reached the bed, he grabbed Riku around the waist. His wings expanded as he shot through the mirror. He glanced back to see Brownie giving Yuri a leg up before leaping through behind him. While Lucifer could zap wherever he wanted, he hadn’t givenRiku that ability yet and he wouldn’t for anyone else. Not even Brownie. The more beings that could freely come and go in Hell, the more weaknesses there were to exploit. Outside the mirror, Riku and Lucifer each snagged a dog and followed the lingering wisps of Frost’s panic to his location with a single thought. They found themselves at Riku’s house. Gemini danced above the magic fire, inches from being roasted and held by invisible strings. Frost stood by helplessly.
The power that pulsed in the air was nearly enough to bring him to his knees. At the first glimpse of Jörmungandr, Lucifer waved his arm, sending Riku, Brownie, Yuri, Gemini, and Frost away. The moment he felt them land safely on his bed, he sealed the mirror, trapping them out of Jörmungandr’s reach.
