Page 80 of Sorrow & Strangers

She tries to wiggle out of my hold and put distance between us. “Stay close,” I hiss, keeping my arm around her waist, my hold on her hip possessive as we move through the craggy, desolate landscape outside the capital city of Pandemonium. This territory belongs to the hellbeasts. They roam free here among the howling winds, devouring lost souls and careless demons who wander too far from the city.

“I’d rather be demon chow,” she hisses back, pushing at my hand.

“Don’t tempt me,” I growl, yanking her tighter to my side.

She grumbles under her breath and looks away but doesn’t try to get out of my grip again. It’s a minor miracle, and I count myself lucky. We are getting closer to the outskirts of the city, but we are in no less danger. Perhaps she’s finally sensing the deadly predators that surround us on all sides. They hide in the shadows, hoping for us to stray from the path and become fair game, and they are not just demons. Many dangerous species call Hell home.

The buildings are cut from the rocky landscape, growing more modern as the dirt paths give way to cobbled streets that lead toward the center of Pandemonium.

“We need to be cautious. The brimstone you want for Rafe will be the refined kind. It is sold in the center of the marketplace, and more than anything, we need to be careful not to cause a scene and draw Lucifer’s attention,” I whisper to her as we start to pass other demons.

Our presence here is pushing all boundaries. Lucifer exerts absolute dominion over his domain. Hordes of demons call this realm home, and we can only hope two more will simply go unnoticed by both him and his son, Lilithim. It is probably a foolish hope, but if I hadn’t agreed to escort her here, she would have come alone and been caught for sure.

“Why is it necessary for me to be pressed up against you?” she asks sharply.

I should have known she wouldn’t be compliant for long.

“Because it needs to look like you’re mine.”

She is mine. She just hasn’t accepted it yet.

“Why?” she growls.

Such a fucking brat. Why is it so intoxicating?

Leaning closer, I whisper, “You need to look like you belong.” I punctuate the statement with a nip to her ear, mourning that the pointed tip is gone in this form. She bites her lip in response, her dark eyes locked on me. “Now, act like it.”

She turns toward me, no doubt to yell at me about my high-handedness, but stops when I guide her into the heart of the city. Twelve towering buildings surround the market, forming a near-perfect circle filled with a warren of stalls. Her head swivels as she tries to take it all in, and I dig my fingers into her hip. I know I am leaving bruises, but I need her to remember to play her part. She hisses, but the bit of pain seems to have the desired effect, and she pulls herself back to our task.

I lead her past the stalls at a controlled pace, browsing the wares idly. Under the guise of whispering filthy, naughty things in her ear, I translate the signs for the various spices, goods, body parts, and brimstone variations for her. Eventually she leans into the ruse, sliding her hand into the back pocket of my leather trousers, keeping me close.

I drag my thumb under the edge of the leather shorts she’s wearing, snapping the edge of the thong against her hip.

She lets out a moan of surprise. “Dick.”

“Stop moaning, then,” I say, snapping it harder.

I pause at the largest stall to look at the display barrels filled with brimstone. It has been milled into a fine black powder, each with a different flavor. Some contain flecks of color within the black, hinting at what had been added and how they might taste.

“They come in bricks, and they will need to be ground. There are a variety of flavors, so you will need to choose, depending on his diet,” I whisper, running my lips along the shell of her ear.

Many are flavored to taste of mortal flesh, including infants to the elderly, as both are considered delicacies. But I know they are avoiding that for Rafe. I may have been out of contact, but I’ve still kept an eye on her.

I lean in to whisper another translation into her ear, but she leans back in my hold and says with saccharine sweetness, “Take your hand off my hip before I cut it off.”

The sweetness takes me off guard, even more than the sharp smile she’s wearing.

“You need to play the role,” I remind her.

She reaches back and grabs my cock, her grip hard through my pants. “Oh, I will.”

My breath leaves me in a rush of shock and arousal. It doesn’t help that I’ve been hard since I yelled at her in the forest.

Speaking a little louder for the audience we’re drawing, I bare my teeth in a feral grin and say, “Please, baby, wait till I can take you up on that.” The nickname comes out with all the sweetness of barbed wire.

She squeezes me hard, forcing a moan from my throat before smirking evilly and storming away from me.

Chapter Forty-One