Luella’s eyelids fell shut, even as he held her face toward his. "You’re not mad?" she whispered.
The demon leaned forward until his lips touched the tip of her nose. "Never. It’s your body, and you can do with it as you wish, angel. I always knew that you were destined for more than just me." He knew the others were listening, and yet, he still couldn’t stop himself from sharing his innermost thoughts. "In a way, it makes me happy, knowing you’ll always be cared for."
"They don’t care for me." Her palms spanned his chest. "Not like you."
"You’re wrong. Trust me on this, Lu." He pulled away, cupping her cheek. Water dotted her skin from his touch, and he was so, so proud of her for facing her fears. It wasn’t a weakness to rely on another; he wished she realized that. "What else?"
She took a deep breath, unmoving from her spot pressed flush against his side, her knees digging into his hip. Bubbles popped on her chest, revealing the soft swell of her breasts and the barest hint of her pink nipples.
And she told him everything. Starting with Bastian entering her mind on the first day, spanning until the final night. What she seemed to linger on the most was one thing:
A promise she made to him. Curiosity clouded her words as she spoke of how the vampire told her to taste herself, and when she finished, the water was even warmer, and her cheeks were nearly red.
Azhurtfrom how intensely he ached for her.
And he could not help but feel pride at knowing he had tasted her before the vampire had.
"What did he mean, Az?" Luella asked him innocently. "Does he want to do what you did?"
Az smiled down at her, fingers curling in the damp hair at her nape, forearm brushing against the wet feathers of her wings. "I think he meant something else."
That tiny line reappeared between her brows. "What else is there?"
He bit down so hard on his lower lip, he tasted blood. She was lucky it was he who held her, and not the others—he doubted the rest would be as gentle with her innocence.
Az had never been with anyone but Luella; though, he knew what the vampire had been hinting at with his promise.
"Much, Lu, that you aren’t ready for."
Her jaw clenched. "Don’t treat me like a babe. I want to know. If Bastian is to ask me to fulfill my promise, don’t I deserve to know what he meant?"
Az spoke of being okay with the idea of sharing her, but at this moment, he hated the sound of another male’s name on her lips. He surged forward, making her gasp as he pressed his lips against hers in a water-soaked kiss.
"T-tell me," she murmured against his mouth.
"If he comes to you, and you don’t want it, you can turn him away. You know that, angel?"
Her breath seeped into his mouth as she spoke. "I do, but I won’t. I… like what he’s shown me, and this time, I want you to show me."
Az groaned against her, silently lifting her from the bath. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her bare core pressing against his hip. The flush on her cheeks traveled down her neck to her breasts.
"Beautiful," he grumbled, kissing her jaw as he parted the curtains separating the bath from the bed, carrying her gently toward it and setting her down among the thick, puffy sheets.
The curtains to the outside were slightly open, trees swaying and letting in a thick breeze that grew louder with each anticipatory exhale that fell from her lips.
The natural light that filtered in was dim from the cloud-covered sky. She crossed her legs anyway.
Az placed his knees on the bed and moved over her, horns casting shadows on the pale skin of her lower stomach as he loomed above her.
Her wings were trapped between her back and the bed, and he stilled. "It doesn’t hurt you?"
She shook her head, dazed. "No. They don’t hurt anymore."
"I’m glad. I hate that you were in pain." He placed his palms on her knees, and her blue eyes widened. "This is still okay? You want me to show you?"
"Yes." Her teeth dug into her bottom lip.
And the demon gently opened her legs, thumbs brushing over her knees when she tensed. He hushed her, waiting for her to settle, and when she did, he opened her thighs, revealing her most intimate spot to him.
