The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,32

a little closer. "So we make sure that doesn't happen. She isn't easy to kill. She isn't weak, helpless, or ignorant. She's the Ayala! She is the destroyer of worlds, Luke. That is why she glows so brightly, and you know as well as I do that we can't stop her. Direct her, maybe. Teach her, definitely. But if you love her like I do, then stop pushing her away."

He leaned into me. "And us?"

I moved even closer, turning until his back was against the counter. "I don't think you're pushing me away anymore," I whispered.

"But you're definitely chasing," he said.

"Should I stop?"

His tongue darted out to moisten his lips, but his eyes held mine the whole time. "If I say no, then what? Where does this end, Nick? You distract me until we both fuck up and let her make a mistake?"

"She has three other demons who are just as strong," I assured him.

His gaze shifted, moving to my other eye as he lifted his chin. "I am not your bitch."

"Oh, but you could be," I purred.

And his breath caught. "Nick?"

"You say you want to teach her how to be evil. That means we have to stop being afraid of it ourselves. You and I? We are the most feared monsters in five realms. We are the ones who make people quake in fear. We are horrible, evil minions of Hell. That's all I've heard for the last few centuries, and I know it hurts you as much as it does me. The difference between us is that I don't lie about it. But you? Luke, you pretend like you are everything they say as you isolate yourself just a little more - but you didn't expect Ronwe. He slipped inside your guard and found your heart, then offered it up for the rest of us. He's pulling you into our legion deeper than you've ever been before. So let me ask that another way." I leaned in until my lips were beside his ear. "Are you going to run away from me, Lucifer, because you're too scared to stay?"

He shoved, forcing me back a step. "Fuck you."

"That's what I'm offering," I snapped.

And he froze. "What?"

I stepped back into him without slowing down. "You can tell me to stop, but you haven't. You throw out all these excuses, but I know them well. I've used them myself. My question is if you're going to lie to my face, run from me, or finally fucking give in!"

"Says the man who only likes women," he said.

I nodded, accepting that I deserved that. "So we both have a lot to learn. I'm asking if you want to do it together?"

"I can't," I groaned. "Don't you fucking get that?"

"I don't. You already promised me you'd try."

"I am," he hissed.

I just shook my head. "Liar." But my tone made it clear I wasn't mad about it.

We were standing so close together, both of us panting with our emotions, but I didn't think rage was the right word. Not with how hard my dick was at that moment. Yes, I loved the fury on his face, but I knew it was a mask. This was how he changed the subject, moving the topic back toward something he could control, but I wasn't about to let him. He could talk about me, or he could talk about Sia. This time, I wasn't letting him out of it.

"What do you want from me?" he asked, but his hand found my shirt, fisting in the fabric over my chest.

I leaned my hips into him. "Oh, I thought that was obvious. I want to make sure you will never leave the legion. I want to stop thinking I know what I want, and stop running from the things that scare me," I told him. "I want to watch you slide inside her body until she throws her head back and howls to the devil - whichever one of us she wants." Then I ground my erection against his hip. "But you have to stop saying no before you can say yes."

"I haven't said no," he breathed.

So I whispered, "But you also haven't said yes."

"Fuck!" And he pushed again.

This time, I stumbled back, hitting the cabinet. A pan clattered to the ground, but I really didn't care. Everything about Luke drove me higher - in the worst way. He made me want to scream, break things, or even break him. Unfortunately, I didn't know if I could, or if he'd