The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,19

eggs. They should remain in a nearly stasis-like state."

"In other words, no pregnancies?" I asked.

He nodded. "Three different ways," he assured me. "I may have spent some time learning about the supposedly fairer sex before you came to Hell. I found the biological variances remarkable, but this is all theoretical."

"Unless you've cut open a person, I would assume so," I countered. "So, how are we doing this?"

Ron smiled and gestured to the table. "Lean over, pull up your shirt, and push down your pants enough to expose the area. I believe I can add this to you without taking a demonic amount of time." He eased himself off the bench. "And I'd kinda like to try."

"Then let's do this," I agreed.

But in order to both brace myself and expose my back, the position was somewhat compromising. I knew it. Ron knew it. There may have even been a few giggles that slipped out when he moved behind me. Still, when he trailed his fingers across the skin of my lower back, it sent shivers up my spine - the good kind.

I couldn't help but wonder how he would make love. Ron was gentle. He was also a lot stronger than anyone gave him credit for. Never mind the billions of years of stored-up kink. Granted, his time in Luke's bed had probably eased that a bit, but he'd still never been with a woman, and he didn't seem like he was in a hurry.

With me being me, I couldn't help but worry that he wasn't actually interested. Ron was gay. Luke had made that very clear to me. I, however, was a woman. Those two things did not exactly go together, and yet it did with Ron. Yes, I knew that sexuality was on a sliding scale, but me? Of all the women in three planes of existence - because the outer two only had men - he was attracted to me?

It seemed impossible, wonderful, and crazy, all at the same time. But the feel of his hands on my body, the way he looked at me, and those nights he spent cuddled up with me in my bed did not feel like I was with a man who wasn't interested. Truth be told, I honestly believed that he simply looked at men because that was what he felt most comfortable with. Not because it was the extent of his sexual attraction.

My skin began to grow warm before I could ask, which was probably a good thing. Except after warm came hot. Boiling was next. Every rune seared into the pattern of my aether hurt, but I was learning how to tolerate this. It was like a shot at the doctor, but worse. A thing that was over quickly and better when it was done. Most of all, I wanted this rune.

No, I needed it.

I would not spend the rest of eternity dealing with a period every single month. I could not handle constantly worrying about if my birth control failed, if I kept track of the months between such different worlds, or the cramps! This rune was just as important to me as the one that marked me as a part of the First Legion, and he'd designed it to be beautiful.

In the center was an almost circular mark, but one that was broken in places. Through that was a diagonal line with a hook on the end. Swirls on each side reached out, tangled, and formed beautiful knots that did not look Celtic. It had an almost tribal appearance, but softer, more feminine. This was the type of scroll design that belonged on the front of a romance novel, just under the title. And now, it would be permanently etched on my back as a burn.

When the heat began to fade, I let my breath rush out, realizing only then that I'd been holding it. Ron leaned in to kiss the side of my neck, but his hand was lowering my shirt back in place. Those fingers. They teased where they touched, proving the whole thing was now completely healed.

"I added color," he told me. "Nick said that tattoos are considered more attractive than burns, so I tried to make it both."

I tugged at the back of my pants, pulling them up where they belonged. "Is it pretty?"

"I like it." Then he moved closer. "It should also sit just above your tail. I think it is in the perfect place to kiss."

Turning toward him, I grabbed his waist