Page 33 of Immortal Throne

CHAPTERNINE

Back in my small apartment, I placed my empty mug on the counter and leaned forward to rest my forehead on the cupboard. It felt good to return to a familiar place. The last few hours left me feeling as though someone had pulled out the rug from under my feet and left me to flail in the air.

Wait. When had I returned to my apartment?

Strong hands gripped my waist and slid down my short, silk nightie to rest on my hips.

Nightie?

Silk?

Okay, this had to be a dream. But a nice one for once.

I didn’t want to wake up.

The man standing behind me leaned in, his chest pressing into my back, his warmth caressing my skin. His hot mouth found my neck and he lay lazy kisses along my exposed shoulder.

“Are you sure you want to be my enemy?” Ryker’s deep voice vibrated over my body. “We could be so much more as friends.”

Instead of spinning around to punch him in the throat, I purred and arched into him, rubbing my ass into his groin, feeling his stiff erection.

This most definitely had to be a dream, but I had no intentions of trying to stop it. I liked this feeling of closeness, or intimacy too much, even if it did star my most hated enemy.

Ryker growled, his fingertips digging into my skin. He spun me around, picked me up and sat me on the counter. His gaze smoldered and he gave me a whole second to appreciate his beauty before he snagged my lips in a kiss that stole my breath away. His hands traveled up my thighs, slipping the silk nightie higher and higher up my legs until it bunched at my waist.

Huh.

I wasn’t wearing any panties. Thank God for the magical wonders of dreams.

Ryker abandoned my lips and kissed his way down my throat and chest, pulling down the straps of the nightie along the way. The silky material slipped down to pool at my waist. His hot mouth captured a nipple and I gasped. Threading my hands through his soft hair, I gripped his head and held him in place as he teased me with his tongue.

“Not enough,” he growled. “I need more.”

He leaned down and scooped me up. I might be fit from all my training and fighting in a cage, but I wasn’t little. I wasn’t light or someone easily tossed around. This didn't phase Dream Ryker for a second. He hoisted me up and walked out of the kitchen to throw me against the wall. I draped my legs over his shoulders and suddenly his mouth was at my core and he was finding new ways to tease me with his tongue.

Nipping, sucking and licking, he stoked a fiery need burning inside me. Pleasure built, threatening to erupt. He reached over with his free hand to press down–right there, right on the perfect spot–while he plunged his tongue inside me.

My world exploded, pleasure rippled through me while I clutched his hair and my thighs clamped his head to keep him in place.

I lurched awake, pleasure still rippling through me.

Holy shit… Thatdream.

It had been both terrifying and mind-numbingly hot at the same time. Invisible ropes tightened around my lungs and squeezed. The aftershocks of my dream orgasm faded quickly, though, replaced with panic as the events of the last twenty-four hours came crashing back.

What the hell had I gotten myself into?

After the quick tour, Zane had led me to one of the billion bedrooms to sleep in for the night. He had apologized for the plainness of it and assured me the suite Lucifer stayed in was much nicer, but really, I was flabbergasted by the sheer size and extravagance of it. Damn place was nicer than my apartment with a queen-sized bed, a full bathroom with claw-foot tub and standing shower, and a lush, shag carpet that felt like heaven on my feet. A massive arched window took up most of the far wall, and through the stained-glass pieces, I could just make out the outline of a body of water. Or maybe it was magma. It was hard to tell with so much darkness clinging to the sky.

Did it always look like it was about to thunderstorm here?

The comfort of the bedroom almost made me forget what I was up against here. Win the crown or die. Me, a half human going up against much stronger and scarier demons. The only thing I had going for me was that I was used to taking down bigger opponents than me. I had made a living off it.

I just had to hope it’d pay off here, too.

Meanwhile, my demon dog familiar had left me topopback to the mortal realm and grab some of my stuff. Apparently, Chupacabras could move between the realms with ease in addition to communicating telepathically with other familiars in the Underworld. How Chupey planned to pack my stuff without opposable thumbs confused and intrigued me at the same time.

My door was flung open, and Zane sauntered into the room holding boots in one hand and a bunch of black cloth in the other. He wore skin tight leather pants that hugged his muscular thighs and a matching sleeveless vest that showed off his arms. The demon was jacked.

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