held on to the rungs for dear life, my entire body aflame. Breath coming in short pants, I melted into his hold as he fucked me against the ladder. Harder, faster, his mouth at my neck, heat and teeth and hunger, a storm of lust and feral need.
The touch of his fingers on my mound, pressing down on my clit—and I unraveled.
With a keening moan, I came with a ferocity that shattered me. He snarled and bit my neck, pumping ever faster into me until he followed me over the edge with a deep groan that curled my toes.
For the span of several heartbeats, he leaned against me, pressing me into the ladder—with his arm still serving as cushion—his face buried in my neck. The quiet of that moment was a hundred times more intimate than the sexual connection we still had, with his cock still buried inside me, my inner muscles clenching in aftershocks.
Clothes rustled as he drew back, pulled out and fixed his pants. Still holding me upright with one arm, he quickly dabbed between my legs with a tissue he must have summoned. Always so considerate and thorough, I mused.
I startled at the sound of susurration, but the next second he’d lifted me, one arm under my knees, the other at my back, and I realized he was using his wings to balance on the ladder as he held me.
One mighty flap, and we were down on the floor. His wings vanished with a whoosh, and I made a soft sound of disappointment.
He peered at me, a brow raised in question.
They’re pretty. I had to mentally push the words to him, because he’d actually done his job well and rendered me temporarily incapable of using my mouth to form words.
“Pretty.” His narrow-eyed stare spoke volumes, but even so, he brought the wings back out, flaring them for extra effect as he walked over to one of the couches and sank down with me still in his arms.
What was left of my jeans and panties went up in flames and fell to ash under his hand, the dagger plopping down on the couch. I jerked upright.
“Shh.”
A blanket appeared in his hand, and he wrapped it around me, pulling me back against his chest. His wings slightly curled around us, the glossy black feathers shimmering with iridescent flames.
“Are you cuddling with me?” I muttered.
“I’m making sure you won’t flow into a puddle on the floor.” His chest vibrated against my cheek as he spoke. “The merihem would have a hard time cleaning that up.”
The merihem. I frowned. “Is that what the gremlins are called?”
“Gremlins?”
“The little guys running around cleaning stuff and bringing me food.”
He chuckled. “Yes. They’re not gremlins. Gremlins wreak havoc on Earth. Merihem are lesser demons, a hellborn species that came into being after the Fall.”
“Wait—gremlins are real?”
“Rare, but real, yes. They like to cause engine failures in big machines. Not exactly fans of new technology.”
I craned my neck to look up at him. “You’re shitting me.”
A wicked smile stole onto his face. “Got you for a second, though.”
“Ugh.”
I went to mock-slap his shoulder, but he caught my wrist, brought it up to his mouth and kissed my palm, his quicksilver eyes intently focused on mine. I shivered despite the warmth of the blanket.
“So violent,” he muttered, leaned down and captured my mouth in a kiss that melted my brain.
It took me a good minute after he broke the kiss to regain my faculties. I blinked, sorted through my jumbled thoughts and found the question I’d wanted to ask before.
“So are the merihem slaves?”
“No.” He played with my hair. “They are compensated for their work, and they are free to leave and offer their services to another demon.”
My brows drew together. “But half-bloods don’t have that choice?”
“Ah, yes. That’s a bit more complicated.”
“Why?” From all that I’d seen, half-bloods should have more standing than merihem.
“Because they have familial ties to a certain demon and their bloodline. With that comes a claim to their loyalty and obedience. Family is…a complex issue among demons.” His features darkened. “You owe allegiance to your line, and that allegiance comes with constraints on your freedom and choices.”
“You mean your family owns you?”
“In a way.”
“So they what? They say jump, and you have to jump?”
Something hard glittered in his eyes. “The more so when you’re younger.”
“That’s messed up.”
I thought of my father, and all the drama and pain when he’d decided to leave us for his second family, and I was infinitely grateful