But I found myself stubbornly insisting I could handle this. I was his Chosen; demons were specifically designed to do only certain things with their Chosen. I had to believe withstanding the kiss of a canagh was one of those things.
You’re insane. But I’d always suspected that.
“No, it’s not,” Hawk said.
He tried to turn away again, but with a speed I didn’t know I possessed, I locked my leg over his waist and twisted so I straddled his lap. His eyebrows rose, and I’d shocked myself, but my demon DNA must still have a few tricks up its sleeve. I suspected the growing strength of our bond was unraveling those tricks, which only reaffirmed my belief I could survive his kiss without becoming a mindless sex slave.
“I’m already bound to you, branded by you, and claimed by you. My existence is tied to yours.” The words hadn’t come earlier, but I had to say them so he would understand. “I’m in love with you, Hawk; I can’t get any more enslaved than that.”
The burst of air that escaped him tickled my mouth and only made me more determined to kiss him. I clasped his cheeks and held his gaze as I lowered my lips to his. He watched my every movement with rapt attention until our mouths touched and a mixture of ecstasy and anguish shone in his eyes.
Still, I didn’t stop as I ran my lips over his before tasting them with my tongue. At first, he remained rigid against me, and then his body started to relax though he didn’t kiss me back. I licked his lips again and slid my tongue partially into his mouth. He emitted a tormented groan as his hands fisted in the sheets.
“Shh,” I murmured as I caressed his nape.
Despite his determination not to give in to me, his cock lengthened against my thigh. Shifting my hips, I centered myself over him and took him inside me again. The sheets tore in Hawk’s grasp, and I felt him throbbing inside me, but I didn’t move. I simply needed to feel connected to him right now.
I bit his lip and drew it between my teeth before nipping it with my fangs. He was mine; I would have him in every way, but instead of becoming frustrated that he wouldn’t kiss me back, I kept working to break his steely resolve.
When I circled my hips on him, the sheets tore further before he released them to grip my arms. He started to pull me away, but when I nipped his lip again before soothing it with my tongue, he froze.
He kept his mouth closed as I tasted him again, and just when I was about to scream in frustration, I felt his wall crumble. His mouth parted, and his tongue met mine. I didn’t experience a surge of victory; instead, unexpected tears filled my eyes.
His kiss was everything I’d dreamed it would be—deep, penetrating, consuming…
Soul shattering.
The last piece of a puzzle clicked into place as our tongues entwined and the searing passion of his kiss shook me to the core of my soul. I didn’t realize I was crying until he wiped the tears from my cheeks, but I refused to let him stop.
He enveloped me in his arms as he turned me on the bed and came down on top of me. I refused to let him stop kissing me while he slowly made love to me.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Aisling
“How do you feel?” Hawk asked for what had to be the hundredth time over the past three days.
“I’m fine,” I assured him impatiently. “And if you ask me again, I’m going to show you how unenslaved I am from your kiss by kicking you in the nuts.”
He grinned at me, which made me tempted to kick him. If I’d known kissing him would turn him into a nervous wreck, I wouldn’t have done it. Well, no, I still would have, but he was making me nuts.
“Sarah definitely wouldn’t have done that,” he said.
I scowled at the reminder of his past lover but let it go. “You have to forgive yourself for that; it wasn’t your fault.”
“I may not have known better, but it was my fault.”
When I rested my hand on his cheek, he stopped throwing wood onto the growing mound of it. “You have to let it go, and I’m fine. We’ve kissed numerous times over the past three days, and I still have all my senses. If I start following you around like a helpless puppy, you can put me out of my misery—and please do—but I’m okay. I think being your Chosen gives me a natural immunity to your demon charms.”
He pressed my hand more firmly against his cheek. “I am pretty charming.”
“Sometimes,” I teased before focusing on the task before us.
We’d spent the past three days setting traps around town. I had no idea how good any of them would do, but I refused to simply sit and wait for the minotaur to return for its next victim. And I refused to fight the beast the same way as before; thankfully, Hawk, Bale, Corson, Wren, and Lix felt the same way.
They were on board with the idea for a new plan I’d set out for them after the first day of trap building. Everything we were doing was done before—as the others liked to incessantly remind us—so now it was time to try something new, even if that new was entirely crazy.
Some of the other demons and humans helped with the traps, but most retreated to the restaurant and library, or they aimlessly roamed the town. I tossed another piece of wood onto the pile and wiped my hands on my jeans.
