Page 22 of A Realm of Fire and Ash

"How long have you been here?"

He sinks to the mattress next to me. "Long enough. I've seen a lot of souls come and go. It's like a revolving door." He holds up the jar. "I guess this is just part of the job."

"Job?" I furrow my brow. "Wait. You're a demon fae?" I try to sit up, but the movement sends me into another bout of pain.

Azazel smiles sadly. "Sure, if you want to call it that. I don't have any real authority here. I just do what the demon court asks of me. It's not ideal, but it's all I can do to make the best of a bad situation."

"What do I owe you?"

He drags his gaze up and down my torso, seeming to remember he helped me. "When you're feeling better, I'd like to buy you a drink."

Arching a brow, I study him. "A drink?" I assume at the tavern. "I should mention I'm not interested in dating anyone." He's all muscled and has a wild edge to his beauty, but all my thoughts are on Wilder. I've never let another man get close to me. In fact, Caius is the only other man I've kissed. And now I've kissed his sister, too.

He grins. "Yet." He stretches out his long form and begins to saunter away. "I'll check on you in the morning. Don't open that door after midnight," he adds before pausing in the doorway.

"What happens after midnight?"

Azazel chuckles. "That's when most of the more dangerous fae shift into their beasts. It's not quite the Forsaken Hunt, as they have some sentience, but you must remember we're in the underworld for a reason. You can't trust anyone here."

"Even you?"

"Least of all me." He bows mockingly before making his exit with a wink.

The door latches behind him, and I hold my stomach as I curl into a ball on the mattress.

Just what have I gotten myself into?

* * *

After spendinghalf the night heaving nothing but bile and tears, I slip into a fitful sleep. No strange dreams haunt my slumber, and when I feel my body again, it's more like an echo of the pain before. Whatever Azazel did to heal me has worked.

I'm just cleaning the sleep out of my eyes when a shadow falls over the small crack in the wooden wall.

"Oh good, you're awake."

My head whips to the door as Caius strolls in. "Wow, you've got clothes on." My eyes trail over his pectorals and down past his rippling abs to his taut stomach before reaching his loincloth. The scrap of muslin hangs from one hip and is knotted loosely around his waist, leaving little to the imagination. The thick muscles of his body, resembling sculpted marble, draw my gaze until I look away, flushed. I look back when he undoes the knot and clear my throat.

"Oh, sorry, I can take this off." He snaps his fingers, and the thin fabric falls away to reveal him in all his glory.

"Caius!" I hiss as I train my attention on the wall. The scorching heat causes the air to ripple in front of me. A bead of sweat rolls down my temple, and it's definitely not from what I think I just saw.

Was he ... pierced?Down there?Why didn’t I see that before?

My attention falls back to his penis. A long silver ring glints at the base of his shaft, with two more strung together to make a heavy chain that rings the base of his cock, with a final one dangling on either side. He swishes it from side to side, and I jerk my head to his face, where he smirks.

"Ooh, how I love hearing my name on your lips. Say it again." He smiles so wide that the fullness of his face transforms.

I can feel heat rising to my cheeks. "What do you want?"

He hums as he strides around the room. "Oh, I just came by to check on you and to tell you that I have something precise planned for us today." He teases one corner of his mouth up in a half smile and begins strolling around the room.

"Afraid I can't go anywhere on account of this." I toss the slack length of chain at him. "Take this off me."

He falls to his knees at my side. "I thought you'd never ask." He reaches for my shirt, and I roll out of his way.

"Not my clothes!" I screech.

Caius lets out a deep belly laugh, and his eyes sparkle with amusement. "Morte," he scolds. "I was going to give you a hug."

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