stepped forward. “And I know how easy it would be for Hell to rip that away, Deyva. Believe me, I’ve seen it.”
“Kais, I promise, I’m not going to let that happen.” His heart was pounding unevenly beneath my palm and I spared a little energy to soothe him, to soften the strain and ache and exhaustion that was weathering away at his body.
“You can’t take on all the legions of Hell,” Kais said flatly.
I grinned up at him, hoping to cut through his ugly mood with a little teasing. “I’m sure I could try.”
Instead, Kais' blood rushed from his face, a low growl rising from his chest. His hand snapped up, wrapping around my wrist, and I gasped as he pulled my hand from his chest, twisting my arm behind my back and then shoving me against him, his face diving down and mouth slanting over mine, tongue searching and stroking, claiming me in the kiss.
“You think I’m gonna feel any better if something happens to you, Daisy?” he asked, voice ragged, grip on my wrist desperate as he shook me against him. His forehead pressed to mine, head shaking slowly. “You show up here and you just raise the stakes. If I lose you…I just can’t. I won’t let that happen, do you understand?”
“Kais,” I whispered, wrapping my free arm around him, sneaking it beneath the hem of his tank top to soothe at the cooling, damp skin of his back. “Honey, you cannot save these people by killing yourself. You need to loosen up on the reins. Teach them how to survive. You can’t carry this town by yourself.”
“I can’t sleep. I can’t fucking take half a second break without seeing their faces, their eyes empty, all that blood. Shit, Deyva, I—” Kais made a choking sound, trying to pull away and I held him fast to me, pressed my face into his throat and took a long breath of that sharp pine and sea salt smell of him.
“What do you need?” I asked, shamelessly licking over his pulse just to feel it thrum. His cock twitched and swelled between us, nudging against my thighs. “You want to fight? Fuck? Set something on fire? I can wear you out or I can hold your hand. Whatever it is, I’m here.”
“Daisy,” Kais growled, pulling my arm tighter at my back until my shoulder protested, his free hand sliding down to my ass to pull me into his hips, grinding himself there. “I am not in a fucking mood to be sweet.”
I smiled, nuzzling into his jaw, turning my head, and then taking a great big bite of the muscle of his throat, grinning into the bite as he grew thicker and harder against me, snarling at flare of pain. I pulled away as he started a rhythm of friction against me.
“You know I can take it, Kais. Three tries to put me on my back,” I murmured, arching in his arms and rubbing a little more against his cock, letting him see the flush of my cheeks, the way my eyes grew heavy-lidded as his fingers dug into the swell of my ass. He looked unsure, even as one of his feet wedged between mine, spreading my legs enough for his sweatpants-covered cock to rock between my thighs.
I twisted out of his grip on my ass, moving to run, but Kais just wrapped that arm around my ribs like a vice, kicking my legs out from under me and then taking me down onto my knees, his body bowed over my back. I arched my spine, giggling at his groan as I nestled my ass against his cock.
One of his hands swept under my t-shirt, eagerly diving for my breast, taking it in a full grip and squeezing roughly. I sat up, leaning into his chest, turning my head and pouting my lips. He twisted me in his hold, pinched my nipple between his thumb and forefinger, and moaned as I craned my neck and licked at his lips.
“One,” I said, laughing and pulling away.
25
Blessed Relief
Kais
This was sick, probably. I growled and lunged for Deyva who jumped to her feet and ran from me, turning to taunt me as she jogged backwards onto a different mat as I rose up from the floor, stalking her.
It wasn’t how I’d imagined seducing Deyva, not the firelight and flowers approach I’d been thinking of. Then again, maybe that was more Stav and Zach’s speed. Right now, with Deyva’s eyes glinting under the