Cipher (Demonica Underworld #8) - Larissa Ione Page 0,13

Hell, she could use that little suspected tidbit of information like an instrument of torture the way Flail seemed to be.

She chose to just be blunt. “Is it sex? Is sex your trauma? I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

“What? Are you kidding?” He looked horrified by the very thought. “Sex is awesome. I just don’t want to have sex with her. Talk about trauma.” He glanced down at his erection again. “But this won’t go away, and my blood...burns.”

“Oh.” Well, this was awkward. “Um...I’m not entirely sure how Flail’s ability works, but I think it takes a couple of hours for the pain to subside.” Her gaze fell to his hips, where the thick column of engorged flesh curved upward, the glossy tip nearly touching his hard abs. Sweet baby Lucifer, that was impressive. “Or, you could, ah...”

Her cheeks flushed with heat, which was ridiculous, given that she was a couple of centuries old and a fallen angel. She’d watched orgies before, and she couldn’t tell Cipher to jerk off?

I so want to see that.

The heat in her face spread to her breasts and pelvis, and she shifted uncomfortably.

“I could what?” He leveled his sharp gaze at her, so intense it took her breath. All his focus was on her. He didn’t even seem to be in pain anymore. “I could...” He grasped his shaft, his long fingers wrapping around the thick length. “Take care of it myself?” His fist made a slow pass from the head to the base and back up, and her throat clogged with lust. “Or I could fuck you instead?”

“Of course not, you worm!” she said. Silently. In her head. Where Cipher didn’t hear it.

Suddenly, he was on her, knocking her back against the door.

She hadn’t even seen him move. Her first instinct as he bit into her throat and pressed that enormous erection into her belly was to hit him so hard that even the wings he’d lost would feel it. But when the erotic purr in his chest reached her ears, her body betrayed her.

Months of watching this magnificent creature perform in the arena and stand up to every form of torture thrown at him had put the tiniest chip in the wall she’d erected when she’d lost everything and everyone she’d loved. On the day she’d lost her wings, she’d sworn off love and friendship, tenderness and compassion, and then she’d let evil in, hoping it would fill the empty space inside. Her anger had been, and still was, a shield, protecting her from the cruel reality in which she now lived.

But now, for the first time since she’d fallen, there was a pleasant distraction from the perpetual misery of Sheoul. A distraction who, as coincidence would have it, could help her get revenge.

You need to step up your game, Lyre. I expected more from you.

Bael’s words from yesterday in the arena rang in her ears. Shuddering, she clung to Cipher, her nails digging into his rock-hard biceps as if holding him close would block the memory of Bael showing her how much more he expected by chaining—literally chaining—her to his side until this morning. She’d witnessed how he did everything from getting a blow job to taking a shit to skinning an Oni demon alive, so yeah, she saw what happened to those who disappointed him. He didn’t handle failure well.

And she had a head full of disturbing memories to process.

Buck up, girl. You can dissect your trauma later. You’re working with a ticking clock right now.

She had to get Cipher to give Bael what he wanted, and she had to do it before Flail did it. Because even if Cipher didn’t break in the arena, he would break eventually. Everyone did. The question was who got credit for it.

Lyre needed the credit. Maybe Bael would finally give her the freedom to leave the realm now and then.

Resolved to this course of action, which really wasn’t a hardship, she let her head roll to the side so he could deepen his bite, and the rush...oh, yes, the rush was incredible. She’d never been fed on before, had never had anyone ask. No one wanted to feed on a weakling like her. And as a weakling, she didn’t even need to feed much. When she did, she fed from humans after being escorted to the earthly realm by other fallen angels who never seemed happy to have to babysit.

During the time she’d been Cipher’s handler she could have taken his vein at any