Page 113 of The Book Reader
The pages of the Black Bible of Hestery are yellow in color, and my eyes scan over their ripped edges as I read. A musty old smell emanates from the book as I turn the pages. I have gotten nowhere. I’m trying to find any additional information that will help Ari. Slamming it shut. I run my hands through my hair. My Rose has answers, and I also know that she will have even more questions.
Ari and I stayed connected until early hours this morning. We fucked a few more times when the primal urge became too much for both of us. She fell asleep as soon as the knot went down, and I was able to pull my cock from her. I wanted to bury it back in her pussy and claim her again as mine, but she needed to sleep. I couldn’t sleep for most of the night.She agreed to move in with me. The excitement makes me want to shout it to the world, but we also have a long road ahead of us, so celebrations will have to wait.
Macy needs to be stopped.
I’m pulled from my thoughts when Mark clears his throat and hands me another folder to look over. I left Ari sleeping while I finished off some work so I could spend the rest of themoon with her. She is going to wake up needing to feed and fuck, so the quicker I get this done, the better. I open the file, and what I see confuses me. One of the more powerful daemon clans wishes to leave topside after years of hiding themselves from Tate.
“The Lewis brothers want to sell?” I ask Mark. The last time I spoke to Edward, he was happy running his company and living topside.
“His brother, Oliver, has gone missing again. They think he is resting somewhere in the Underworld. After the incident, he doesn’t want to return to topside.” Mark nods, knowing how important it is that any deal with the Lewis Brothers is smooth.
Annoyed that Tate is raining his fury down on everyone again, I sign the document. The Lewis brothers are empath daemons—Tate has been after them for years now. “Call Edward and tell him I will visit the next time I am topside. We must get this company sold into the right hands.” The brothers own a trading company for daemon artifacts. I met them a long time ago when I was searching for Ari’s book, wondering if they had seen the tattered old thing.
There is a light knock on the door; without checking, I know it’s Ari. I hear the beat of her heart through the stone walls; it matches the rhythm of mine. Every cell in my body is attuned to her; my skin tingles with awareness. Her rose scent is like a beacon to me, calling from the darkness. She would have woken up feeling hungry and found me with those same feelings.
We need blood to live, but in a way that differs from vampires. When we are without a mate, we feed from who we can—we don’t need much, just a few humans a month. Once daemons are bonded, however, they only crave their mates.
The bonding makes our blood thirst much deeper than just drinking. We drink blood for the bond; it is our souls that ask forthe gift of life. Blood allows us to live; it fills our hearts. The same hearts that are now connected through our bonds for eternity.
“Come in,” I call out just as the door opens. She steps in, looking shy, dressed in one of my shirts and a pair of sweatpants. The shirt is open at the top a little, and I can see the top of our mating mark. Seeing it brings me pride. Trelor growls in my head.
“Mine.”
Possession so strong threatens to choke me; my eyes close, fighting the need to snap Mark’s head off when he turns to look at her. I forgot how powerful the mating bond is.
Mark bows, “Congratulations, my—” he pauses at the look of annoyance on her face “—Ari, on your bonding.” Her eyes find mine, a question reflecting in them, wondering how Mark knew. I can’t help but laugh.
“I will show off our mating mark with pride, my Rose, always,” I say proudly, calmer now.
I didn’t bother putting a shirt on this morning when I came down the stairs; my mating mark has always been in place since the first time we mated. It fades each time she is taken from me. But now that it is back to its full black and gold, I refuse to hide it.
She ismine.
“That will be all, Mark. Let me know if Edward is happy to meet.” Mark bows, then leaves my office, closing the door behind him.
Ari seductively smiles at me as she slowly makes her way over, her hips swaying with each step she takes. She softly places her hands on my chest, her soft fingers tracing the lines of the dragon. Ari leans up on her tiptoes and kisses my lips softly. “You are always gone when I wake up.” Her hands lower, the feeling of them tracing the dips and ridges of my muscles inflames my skin, making my chest heave with each breath Itake. Her hand lowers further to find the button of my pants. She toys with it before popping it open.
“I wanted to clear my day for us.” I groan as pleasure coils at the base of my spine. Lifting my hands, I run them along her back. She places one of her hands on my chest and pushes me back hard, so I fall on my chair. She looks down at me, her eyes glowing amber. She feels the effects of the mating bond stronger now that we are in the same room.
I feel it too.
I need to rip her clothes off and bury my face in her pussy that I know is wet for me right now—this is why so many daemons have a lot of children. The need to have sex constantly is a huge part of mating. “Is it all clear now?” She asks coyly, unbuttoning the shirt she wears before pulling it open. Her nipples are hard, and our mating mark glows on her skin. I bite my lower lip and raise an eyebrow at her.
“It could be why?” I ask her almost breathlessly before I lean forward to pull one of her nipples into my mouth. I suck on it, teasing it with my tongue before I bite down lightly, my fang aching in my mouth before they lower and pierce her skin. Blood drips onto my tongue, and the sweet taste explodes over my senses.
She moans, her fingers knot in my hair, pulling me closer. My hands move to her hips. I pick her up and place her on my desk. A trail of blood trickles from around her nipple, curling with her smooth skin to disappear under the curve of her whole breast. The sight is fucking mesmerizing. My eyes move to meet her blazing gaze.
“Hungry?” I smirk.
“Starving,” she confesses salaciously.
“We can’t have that now, can we?” Leaning forward, I lick the trail of blood from the underside of her breast to her nipple,sucking again. I feel how much she wants me, just as I know she can feel me.
Her breathing is labored when she speaks. “Gaelan, I need you—there’s this ache—Ifeelyou just as you said I would. Will it always be like this?” She asks me, spreading her legs, teasing me as her scent hits me. She smells so much sweeter when she is turned on, like roses and lemon.
I bite her nipple again, making her shudder. I lift my mouth slowly from her sweet skin.
“Yes, it will be, my Rose. Will you be happy living with me like this?” I ask, unable to pull my eyes from her hard nipples. They call to me, begging me to taste them again. Feeling her hand on my chest, breaking me out of my trance, she pushes hard, making me sit back in my chair again. When her hand can no longer reach, Ari lifts her foot and pushes me further until I am sitting all the way back. I lick my lips, then shimmer the sweatpants from her body. My following words are a demand. “Spread your legs for me, Ari, let me see that perfect pussy of yours.”
