Touch of the Demon (3 page)

He laughed out
loud. Shocked to her core by his unexpected amusement, Celeste
stared at him. “You think I jest?”

One hand left
her waist and trailed seductively across her bottom, under her
thigh, and tantalizingly close to her aching pussy.

“I think,” he
said, and his deep voice skittered along her sensitized nerves,
“you don’t have a say in the matter anymore, human.”

He was wrong on
both counts. She wasn’t a human, and she most certainly did have a
say. She gave him her most innocent smile, the smile that had
ensnared countless men in the past, and her hand slid from his butt
and snaked under her thigh to cup his heavy balls.

His mocking
smile morphed into a grimace of undisguised agony as she tugged at
him mercilessly, unheeding of the way he was trapped by the opening
of his leathers.

“What do you
say now, creature?” And she tightened her grip upon him, just to
remind him which one of them held the power.

“Only this.”
The words were a low rumble as he rammed himself into her wet
entrance, forcing her to release his hard testicles and grasp his
granite biceps.

“And
this
.” He thrust again, crashing her into the wall, rough
stone ripping the fabric of her cloak and grazing her back.

His shaft
rubbed against her clitoris, building the pressure spiraling
through her blood. Sweet Goddess, did he affect her so acutely
because it had been so long since she’d allowed a man near her? Or
was there some other dark reason why her pulses hammered, her womb
clenched, and her mind shivered on the edge of madness?

Did it even
matter?

He filled her
like no other, stretching her tender flesh, straining against the
neck of her womb. And then he withdrew, leaving her empty and
aching, but before she could gasp her dismay he thrust into her
again, teasing her swollen clit. Celeste screamed as the primordial
pleasure ripped through every atom of her body, every hidden corner
of her soul.

Dimly, beyond
the pounding of her heart, she heard his unearthly roar as he came
inside her, his hot seed pumping deep within. Instinctively, she
clutched him closer as his body convulsed against her, her legs
tightening around him as if she never intended to let him go.

His head
dropped to her shoulder, and she released her punishing grip of his
biceps to tenderly stroke his dark hair. Time passed and as her
breaths grew less erratic so did his. And yet still she held him,
still she caressed his silken hair.

And still she
kept him clamped within her body by the grip of her legs around
him.

His breath was
hot against her neck. Hot, alien. And yet comforting. How long had
they been in this squalid alley? An hour? A day?

A century?

With a faint
tracing of alarm, Celeste realized she didn’t know, but even
more—she didn’t care. Surely the danger had long since passed and
this creature could leave without completing his deadly
mission?

And if that was
so, why did she still cling to him as if he were her raft in an
ocean of chaos?

At last he
stirred against her. “A fine performance.” His lips brushed against
her ear, sending shockwaves shivering along her skin. “I may never
allow you to leave my side.”

She slid her
legs from his hips and, as their bodies separated, an unexpected
spear of elemental loneliness pierced her.

“I may not give
you the choice.” Her voice shook. Had he noticed? It would be fatal
if he discovered just how deeply he affected her.

Instead of
releasing her, he took her face between his large hands and gazed
down at her. From the glow of the flickering lamplight she saw his
brooding expression, as if he too wondered at the bond between
them.

“You’re more
than I believed you could be.” It was as if he spoke to himself,
voicing his confusion aloud. “You deserve more than your destiny
allows.”

Celeste’s heart
pounded against her chest as his words sank into her brain. Did he
know who she was? Then why had he called her a mere human?

“I forge my own
destiny.”

He smiled, but
it was a dark, bitter smile as if he thought her naïve to believe
such a thing possible. “We’re all pawns, human. In one game or
another.”

And still he
called her human. “Which game do you play?”

His thumbs
traced across her cheeks. A soft touch that sent tremors of renewed
desire shimmering along the surface of her skin.

“Chess.” His
teeth flashed in a fleeting smile of mockery. “Isn’t that the only
game ever played?”

She trailed one
finger along the sensual line of his mouth. “A pawn can fell a
kingdom.”

“Yet it’s far
more pleasurable to seduce one’s opponent into surrender.”

Celeste allowed
her finger to hover against his parted lips, and his warm breath
fanned her. “Have you surrendered to me?”

He took the tip
of her finger into his hot mouth and caressed it with his tongue.
His eyes never left hers.

She hitched in
a ragged breath. “I can be magnanimous in victory.”

For the second
time, he laughed, a deep rich sound that seeped into her soul and
filled the darkness with light. It was an impossible illusion
because he was a creature of the pit, and yet before she could stop
herself she smiled back at him.

“Your
arrogance,” he said, sliding his fingers through her hair as if the
texture pleased him, “is truly breathtaking.”

“Then we’re
well matched.” How could she flirt with this heartless assassin?
And yet she had already fucked him. Wanted to have him again. Did
that make her insane? Or merely as depraved as him?

His fingers
paused against her hair. And then he drew her cloak around her,
covering her exposed breasts.

“Come.” His
voice was suddenly harsh as he wound his arm around her shoulders,
pinning her to his side.

“Where?” Panic
flared as he pulled her along the dark alley. Had she
miscalculated? Could he still complete his mission? While she had
been experiencing pleasure beyond her fantasies, had he been fully
aware of the passage of time?

He’d attached
her so securely to his side, she couldn’t even reach her stiletto.
But even if she could, would she use it on him? Now?

Her brain
assured her not only that she could, but that she must. Her heart
shrank from the image.

“Somewhere
warm.” He sounded oddly distracted and it took her a second to
absorb his meaning.

“Warm?” So he
wasn’t planning on finishing the job. He planned to finish
them.

Liquid heat
bloomed between her thighs. If she could keep him with her
throughout the night, the future of the one she protected was
secure. Once the child was conceived, this demon had failed in his
mission. There were no second chances, no possibility to reclaim
that fragment in time when he had relinquished everything in the
heat of passion.

Was that the
only reason she wanted to stay with him?

She tried to
block her mind against the inevitable answer, but the answer hummed
in every nerve she possessed.

Because the
true reason she was staying with him was that she wanted to.
For
herself
.

Chapter
Two

Rafe didn’t
question why he wanted to spend more time with the woman. The
moment when destiny hovered on the cusp between darkness and light
had passed. By fucking her, he had ensured that the predicted chaos
would never come to fruition. Humans wouldn’t rise against their
gods, and the gods wouldn’t issue the dark angels an ultimatum.

The future was
already irrevocably altered, so it didn’t matter if he left her
here in this filthy alley and returned to his own sphere. Didn’t
matter if he took her soul or not. Killed her or allowed her to
live.

And yet he
chose to take her with him. The reason
why
was of no
consequence.

“Here.” Her
breathless voice penetrated his thoughts and he watched her push
open a door set in the grimy stone wall.

She looked up
at him. He had an overwhelming urge to see her face in the light,
to discover the color of her eyes and find out whether her hair
truly did resemble starlight, or if it was just an illusion of the
night.

He wanted to
take her off planet. Wanted to take her back to his own civilized
time where they could indulge every comfort. But the desire to be
inside her again consumed him. And so he followed her.

The decrepit
hag hunched by the desolate fire in the grate barely turned her
head as they crossed the timber floor of the shabby dwelling.
Cloaked in darkness they were merely a draught of warm air, a
shimmer over the soul.

The stairs
creaked as she led the way, and he barely noticed the stench of
humanity or air of decay as she took them into a tiny room.

He kicked the
door shut behind them. Pitch black surrounded them. Her elusive
scent danced in the air, obliterating the underlying despair that
permeated every pore of the mean dwelling.

But he wanted
light. Needed to see her. As she pressed herself against him, he
used his powers to gather the primitive illumination they used in
this time. A thousand candles sprung to life, and he wrapped his
arm around her shoulders before the fear claimed her.

He felt her
laugh, as if the phenomenon she’d just witnessed was commonplace.
And then he looked at her.

Her silver hair
was no night-time illusion. In the flickering glow of the candles
it appeared alive, a shimmering silver cloud of silk which curled
over her shoulders and down her back.

And her eyes.
Awe stabbed through Rafe as he looked into those fathomless gold
and green eyes. He had been wrong. This woman embraced more of her
immortal heritage than he’d been led to believe. But how could he
have not guessed, when she claimed such an irresistible hold upon
him?

Celeste’s laugh
caught in her throat as she looked at the man in her arms. In the
dark, he had appeared formidable. In this light, he was pure
magnificence.

Eyes so dark
they appeared black mesmerized her with their all-encompassing
power. His face possessed a harsh beauty that both inflamed and
terrified her, forcibly reminding her he was not of her world.

The knowledge
only made her want him more than before.

“You have the
beauty of the heavens.” His voice was hushed.

“No,” she said
softly. “My beauty is of the Earth.”

His hand
caressed the side of her face. Was it her imagination, or did his
fingers shake?

“Heaven or
Earth. Is there a difference?”

She pulled the
ties of her cloak and tossed it over the rickety bed. “I’m of the
Earth,” she repeated.

“Which makes
you also part of the heavens,” he said, and his fingers trailed
across the top of her exposed breasts. “A part of me.” His voice
was suddenly possessive and Celeste shivered in anticipation as he
tugged her dress over her hips.

He drew in an
appreciative breath as he gazed at her nakedness. It had been
twenty mortal years since she had last stood this way before a man,
and yet even then she hadn’t been filled with the burning urgency
this stranger ignited with merely a glance.

She stroked her
thumbs over her aroused nipples, cupped her breasts, and then
trailed her fingers across her taut belly. His eyes followed every
movement.

“Strip for me,
barbarian,” she commanded, her voice husky.

He looked at
her. “Rafe.” His voice was hoarse as he ripped off his long leather
coat and dropped it unceremoniously to the floor. “My name is
Rafe.”

Celeste dipped
her finger between the wet folds of her pussy. She told herself she
didn’t care what his name was, and yet she knew that was a lie.

His shirt
followed his coat and her finger stilled as she marveled at his
masculine perfection. How could a creature of such inspiring beauty
possess a soul so withered and corrupt?

He paused in
the action of stripping off his leather pants. “What do they call
you?”

She didn’t want
to tell him. It was none of his concern. And yet she needed him to
know. To hear her name on his lips. “Celeste.”

A fleeting
smile touched his lips. “I said you were of the heavens.
Celeste.”

He made her
name sound erotic. Forbidden. A shiver skittered along her spine as
she acknowledged everything she had shared with this
creature—
with
Rafe
—from the moment she’d encountered
him had been forbidden.

The thought
aroused her further and wet heat engulfed her probing finger.

“Continue.” She
jerked her head, indicating his pants, and with another gut
wrenching smile he kicked off his boots and then—far too
leisurely—inched his pants down his muscled thighs.

The breath
caught in her throat as she surveyed his taut, bronzed body, the
candlelight showing every ridge and dip of his muscled splendor.
His erection jutted, magnificent and proud, and her internal
muscles clenched with glorious frustration.

He allowed her
only a moment to lust over his warrior hard physique before he
strode to her and gripped her wrist. Slowly he pulled her hand from
her sex, up between their bodies until her fingers were a whisper
from their lips.

Without
breaking eye contact Rafe licked the top of her finger, swirling
his tongue around her tip.

Her mouth
parted, breath gasped, and for answer he forced her finger against
her own lips, and the musky scent of her own juices caused her
senses to spiral.

“You taste of
the stars.” His voice was rough. Uneven. “You’re barely human at
all, Celeste.”

“And you’re not
human at all.” Her breath grazed his lips. “Our heritage doesn’t
matter, Rafe. Not tonight. And we don’t have to think of
tomorrow.”