The Warlock Who Hungered for a Demon (16 page)

“What’s the next step, then?” Tucker Marrow asked almost

absently. He was leaning against the wall and staring in the two

vampires’ direction. The arousal and need coming from him made

Rhys want to climb into Noah’s lap and just impale himself on his

mate’s prick.

“You shouldn’t be thinking that at a time like this,”
Noah

chastised him through their bond.
“It’s very distracting.”

“Maybe, but I can’t help it.”
Instead of following his wild urges,

he leaned against his mate and closed his eyes. He understood very

little of it all himself, but honestly, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

He was exhausted, gleeful, and aroused, and he just wanted to crawl

into a bed with his mate. Emotions were running rampant, making his

incubus senses more alive than ever. Kaname’s brother seemed to

have an admirer, and Tucker was doing very little to disguise his

desire. But even with all the feelings siphoning into him, Rhys

couldn’t exactly leave to fuck, not when the situation at the Whitaker

mansion was just now stabilizing. Their defenses had been left

vulnerable, and the pixies or demons could return any moment now.

100

Scarlet Hyacinth

“The first thing we need to do is to strengthen our homes so that

we won’t be taken by surprise again,” Byron said, echoing Rhys’s

thoughts. “This isn’t over, not by a long shot. A large portion of their

reinforcements retreated when it became clear that the battle was lost.

It’s only a matter of time until they return.”

“The problem is that we can’t all stick together forever,” Corbin

pointed out, pacing through the room. His restlessness made Rhys’s

skin itch, and he fidgeted, trying to push it to the back of his mind.

“Each of us has to return to our own homes.”

“Of course.” Kaname smirked. “Have you spoken to Prince

Winter? I’m sure he’ll be happy to know you’re safe.”

Corbin’s face flushed. “We’ve spoken, yes. I apologize. I just

miss him.”

“Quite understandable,” Kaname replied. “I’m sure no one here

blames you for it. Our bonds with our mates are just another reason

why we must stand firm against the pixies’ attack.”

“Very well, then,” Soren Wade said. “For the moment, may I

suggest a revision in systems security? We have to comb to our staff

with great care, so that the events won’t happen again.”

Rhys felt a pang of pain at the thought of his brother’s betrayal.

He still couldn’t believe the fact that Elden had been essentially

leading a double life. Not only had he kept Rhys and everyone else

from meeting his family, but he’d actively conspired with his mate to

sabotage the Whitakers. Still, Rhys was almost glad they hadn’t

caught Elden because in spite of it all, he cared about his brother

deeply.

“I know you do,”
Noah said through their bond.
“There’s no

shame in it. Elden has his own path, and perhaps, one day, you two

will meet again, under more pleasant circumstances.”

Rhys couldn’t suppress a sigh.
“You’re right, of course. I just

wish things could have been different.”

He struggled to focus on the conversation, but he was having

trouble with it, his entire being whirling with a mix of confusing

The Warlock Who Hungered for a Demon

101

emotions. Thankfully, he was saved from further torment when the

door opened and his father slipped inside, followed by Olympia.

“Go get some rest, Rhys,” Olympia ordered without preamble.

“You look like you’re about to fall over.”

Rhys blinked at her, his fatigue delaying his time of reaction. It

was quite true. He hadn’t gotten some shut-eye since before he’d

visited the pixies. He’d been on a continuous adrenaline high, urged

by his fears, passions, and desires. Now that the battle was over, that

boost was, at last, dwindling.

“And you, too, Noah,” his father said. “You were great during the

battle, but you must have strained your magic past the edge.”

Noah laughed. “Not quite. I had Rhys with me after all.”

“That’s all well and good, but we wouldn’t want anything to

happen to you.” Abbott arched a brow, and Rhys realized his father

had finally been told about Noah’s disease. “Do we?”

“You needn’t worry, Mr. Whitaker.” Noah’s arm snaked around

Rhys’s waist and rested against Rhys’s belly. “I have too much to live

for.”

Rhys’s father might not have guessed exactly what Noah was

talking about, but he still seemed pleased. “Very well, then. Now go.”

Even if that was exactly what Rhys wanted, he still felt bad about

just abandoning the meeting. “We can stay,” he protested, dismayed

when his voice came out weak and low.

“No, you can’t.” Olympia’s voice was biting and unyielding.

“There’s already too much emotion here, and if not for Noah, you

probably wouldn’t even be able to breathe here.”

She made no secret of her displeasure, so Rhys decided to take her

up on her offer. After all, there was no sense in playing martyr and

making everyone here uncomfortable because of the emotions they

couldn’t help.

“All right, then,” he said as he got up. “We’ll go. Just keep us

posted if anything happens.”

102

Scarlet Hyacinth

“We will,” Byron promised, a small, uncharacteristic smile on his

lips. “Go on. Nothing’s going to happen if you take a brief break.”

“Besides,” Corbin added, “you do need to feed.”

There were few things that could embarrass an incubus, and

needing his mate wasn’t one of them. So, he just bowed at his friends

and grinned back. “That I do.”

Noah got up as well and thanked everyone. After bidding

everyone good-bye, the two of them left the room and headed toward

Rhys’s quarters.

Even if the plan had been to go directly there, they ended up

sticking around to help the injured. Most of the incubi had managed to

escape to the panic room before the other demons could get to them,

but there had been a couple who’d received severe injuries. Rhys’s

father was one of the lucky ones, as he was already recovering under

Ysanne’s ministrations, but the others would take a bit longer.

Numerous soldiers from the shifters’ force had also been wounded.

Fortunately, the Sidhe King Sterling Tomacelli had sent had healing

powers. To Rhys’s satisfaction, so far, there had been no deaths.

It was a good hour later when Rhys and Noah finally retreated to

Rhys’s room. As they slid inside, Rhys released a sigh of relief. “I

can’t believe we actually lived through all that.”

Noah took him in his arms and carried him to the bed. “We did,”

he said as he deposited Rhys on the mattress. “And we came out

stronger.”

His hands caressed Rhys’s belly with a gentleness that touched

Rhys’s heart. “We can’t be sure yet,” Rhys warned Noah. He could

feel how much Noah wanted a baby with him, but he didn’t want his

mate to be disappointed.

Noah just smiled gently. “No, we can’t. But we are.”

It was true. Even if Rhys told himself that at this point, the baby

would not even be an embryo yet, he had felt it, the spark of life deep

within him. “I’ve wished for this for so long. I’m almost afraid it’s not

The Warlock Who Hungered for a Demon

103

going to be true. Sometimes, I worry that I’ll close my eyes and when

I wake up, you’ll be gone.”

“Oh, Rhys.” Noah brushed their lips together in a butterfly-light

peck, then started peppering Rhys’s face, nose, and even his eyelids

with kisses. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Promise?” Rhys wrapped his arms around Noah’s neck, hating

that he sounded like a child in need of reassurance, but too

overwhelmed by emotion to school that need.

“I promise, baby.” Noah took Rhys’s mouth once again, and this

time he didn’t pull away.
“I swear it,”
the warlock finished through

their bond.

At first, the kiss was gentle, almost lazy, a source of comfort

rather than one of arousal. Quickly, though, Rhys’s hunger awakened,

bursting out of him like a wild thing. He’d managed to keep it in

check because of Noah’s presence, but now that they were together

and alone, the desperate passion demanded its due.

Liquid fire erupted through Rhys’s veins like molten lava, and he

speared his hands through Noah’s hair, grinding his hips against

Noah. His painfully hard cock came into contact with Noah’s, but

their pants constrained Rhys and his mate, creating a frustrating

barrier between their erections.

Groaning, Noah tore his lips away from Rhys’s and cast a quick

spell. There was no slow stripping this time. Their clothes ripped and

their shoes were forced off by an unseen hand. Rhys couldn’t be

bothered by the specifics of it. He was just too greedy for Noah, his

hunger too great. He pulled Noah back for another kiss, moaning as

their mouths came together once more.

Noah’s tongue delved deep, exploring Rhys, claiming him like

only Noah could. There was so much heat, a taste so intense that it fed

and fueled Rhys’s hunger, both satisfying his craving and making him

lust for more. His body was on fire, and he thought that any moment

now he’d explode from the heat.

104

Scarlet Hyacinth

And then, Noah tore their mouths apart, leaving Rhys feeling

temporarily bereft. Rhys didn’t even have time to protest the loss, as

mere instants later, wet heat engulfed his cock. He arched his back

and released a choked sound as crippling ecstasy rushed over him.

Unable to control himself, he threaded his hands through Noah’s soft

hair and thrust his dick deeper into Noah’s mouth.

Noah growled around Rhys’s prick, and the light vibrations made

Rhys’s pleasure increase even more. The warlock received Rhys’s

dick eagerly, their connection throbbing with Noah’s ecstasy. It was

the strangest thing, almost as if Rhys could taste himself and feel

Noah sucking him at the same time. To a certain extent, Rhys had

gotten used to it, but even so, it never ceased to sweep him off his

feet, to dump him in an abyss filled with pure rapture.

He was so close, so very close already, so when Noah suddenly

wormed a dry finger into Rhys’s ass, it was all over. Screaming his

mate’s name, Rhys came. Some divine act made it so that instead of

closing his eyes, he kept his gaze on Noah. That allowed him to see

Noah pull back at the last moment, making Rhys’s spunk splatter all

over his face.

And then, Noah shuddered as well, and Rhys felt his mate’s

orgasm through their bond. Dazed at the potency of it, Rhys lost track

of everything except his mate. For a moment, he almost blacked out,

overwhelmed by the rapture. But his need for Noah dragged him back

to reality, and even as he lay collapsed on the bed, he reached for his

mate.

Noah fell with his head on Rhys’s belly. “Crap. You made me

come, too. So much for my intentions to fuck you.”

Rhys just laughed breathlessly. “Come now, Noah. You’re an

incubus’s mate. I trust your stamina.”

He caressed Noah’s hair gently, the hunger already stirring inside

him. Predictably, Noah responded, their bond pumping Rhys’s arousal

through Noah. Rhys might have felt a little selfish at that, but he

sensed how much Noah wanted him back. It was a desire that rivaled

The Warlock Who Hungered for a Demon

105

the one only an incubus could feel, carnal, sexual, visceral, but at the

same time, going beyond those limits, to their very cores. Noah

hungered for Rhys, just like Rhys did for Noah.

Noah gathered the lingering traces of spunk off his cheeks, using

them to wet his digits. The sight made Rhys shudder with lust, and he

spread his legs wide, exposing his opening to Noah’s gaze.

Immediately, Noah responded to Rhys’s wordless plea. Two cum-

slick fingers thrust inside Rhys’s ass, teasing him with a tantalizing

promise of what Rhys truly wanted. When those talented digits hit his

prostate, Rhys cried out, “God! Just fuck me, Noah. Please, love, I

can take it. Fuck me!”

His previous orgasm was a distant memory now. It felt as if he

hadn’t come for ages, the sweet agony of his anticipation making his

skin sizzle and awakening every nerve in his body. Fortunately, Noah

didn’t leave him waiting. Removing his fingers from Rhys’s ass, the