“I’m sorry I hurt you,” I said gruffly as I tried to regain control of my racing heart.
“It was worth it,” she murmured, her fingers trailing lazily over my chest.
My dick jumped again and started to lengthen when her hand slipped down my stomach toward it. I’d taken her with a savagery I’d never shown with anyone before, not even a demon. I’d found more satisfaction in her body than with anyone else’s, and already I wantedmore. It was too soon for her. I’d hurt her, and marked her repeatedly; I couldn’t hurt her anymore by taking her again now.
I brushed her hair aside, contentment filling me when I saw the bites marking her golden skin and declaring to everyone who she belonged to. Who she wouldalwaysbelong to. The newest queen of Hell was Lucifer’s offspring. The irony was not lost on me, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was she was mine.
Glancing down, I spotted the blood marring her inner thigh. I’d done that, I’d claimed her and taken from her what no other man had. Something protective stirred within me as I gently eased her back and rose to my feet. I felt her eyes on me as I walked across the room, grabbed the pitcher of water and retrieved a towel from the armoire. I wet the towel before returning to her and gently cleaning the blood from her.
Her hands curled into the bed, her cheeks turned crimson in color as she watched me. I’d never experienced the impulse to be tender with another, to care for them, but with her it was as instinctive as breathing. Tossing the towel aside, I bent to kiss her before crawling into bed with her once more and pulling her into my arms.
I rested my palm gently against my marks; she smiled as her fingers slid over my chest. “You’re mine, River.” She lifted her head and propped her chin on my chest. Her eyes were smoky when they met mine. “These marks, they’re my brand. You will never spend another day of your life without them on you. No one else willeverknow the curve of your hip, the heaviness of your breasts, or the wonder of being inside of you.”
I cupped her mound at my last words, pleased to feel her wetness against my hand. Her lips parted as she watched me.
Too soon.
“You belong tome,” I grated.
Her fingers slid over my cheek, trailing down to my lips and touching against one of my fangs. A strange sadness filled her eyes before she lifted her gaze to mine once more. I would do anything to ease that sadness, but I had no idea what had caused it. Was the idea of being my Chosen so bad for her?
“And how many others have you marked as yours?” she inquired with a hitch in her voice.
“None.”
Her fingers froze. “None?”
“No. You are my only, River. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve had sex over my many years.”
I kicked myself when she winced and tried to pull away from me. I’d have to be more careful of the way I worded things, I realized, as I pulled her closer against me, refusing to let her withdraw. I wasn’t used to having to deal with a human, but she was more sensitive about these things than I, and I didn’t want to upset her. Her jaw jutted out, but before she could begin to fight me, I continued on.
“My life never felt lonely before, but I realize now it was without you in it. You’re the only woman who has ever mattered to me, the only one who has ever completely satisfied me. I feel stronger with you in my arms. Iamstronger with you.”
Her rising annoyance faded at my words, and her head tilted to the side. “Is this a demon thing?”
“Yes, demons mark those we bind our lives to. My bite is my mark upon you.”
“You want to bind your life to me?” she squeaked.
“I already have.”
“And what if I didn’t want to do that? Shouldn’t we have discussed that step first or something?”
A snarl curved my upper lip; I somehow stayed restrained at the idea of losing her. She may be part demon, but she wasn’t full. She wouldn’t feel the pull of the Chosen bond as strongly as I did. I couldn’t force her stay with me if it would make her unhappy.
“If you don’t want this, it will be your choice,” I told her.
“I still have a choice?”
“Yes,” I grated through my teeth.
Her fingers slid to the set of four fang marks on her shoulder. Looking at her, I was amazed to realize I’d bitten her five times, most of them I barely recalled through the haze of lust and possession filling me while claiming her.
“And what of you?” Her fingers didn’t touch when she wrapped her hand around my growing erection. I hissed in a breath when she ran her hand up the swelling length of it. Her thumb slid over the slit at the top, rubbing the bead of precum forming there over the sensitive skin before sliding down me again. “If I belong to you, will you belong to me?”
“Yes.” My head fell back when I took hold of her hand and guided it up my shaft before sliding it down again, showing her the way I liked to be stroked. She was hesitant at first, but it quickly faded as her touch became more confident.
“So no one else will know what it feels like to have you inside of them again? You’ll never touch another woman again or kiss another?”
