City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials #1)(55)

The bitter wind was sharpening my senses as we flew. Now, the most pressing question was why I was going somewhere to be alone with an incubus, a creature that killed mortals with sex.

“Orion,” I began, “we had a deal that if I helped you find out what made the king weak, you would help me find my mother’s killer. But I didn’t learn anything from the king—”

“I’ll still help you”

I stared at the faint glow of silver in his wings. “Okay, and this still seems like a bad idea. As an incubus, won’t you kill me? That’s what incubi do. They seduce mortal women and kill them.”

A sly smile played about his lips. “I may be evil, but I’m compelled to keep you safe, and I will. I won’t do anything that hurts you.”

“Why are you compelled to keep me safe?”

He swept down lower until I could feel the spray of the ocean against my skin. “I don’t know, but it’s deeply inconvenient. You’re supposed to be my spy. That means putting your life at risk. How can you work for me if I can’t tolerate risks to your safety?”

“If you were in prison all that time,” I asked, “have you ever actually killed any mortals?”

“Not yet, I’m afraid,” he said darkly. “I just obsessed over it for a few centuries.”

“Wait, what?”

He took a deep breath. “Not the death, but the sex. It’s how we feed and grow strong—from lust. So I dreamt of it day after day and night after night—feeding on mortals, drinking from their desire. Demons, too.” His wings pounded the air. “I do want to kill that frat boy who attacked you, but I won’t be killing him in a way that he enjoys.”

I turned my head to see that we were approaching the yawning opening of a sea cave. Angling his wings, Orion swooped inside, and darkness swallowed us.





Chapter 31





He touched down in the shadows and lowered me to the floor. When he spoke a word in a demonic language, lights sprang to life in a chandelier above us. The flames cast a warm glow on amber stone walls, and licks of fire rose in lanterns in alcoves.

I turned to look at Orion, whose wings were still spread out wide behind him. In the light, I could see how absolutely exquisite they looked, flecked with pearly white constellations that glowed like stars, blending to silver.

“Nice wings.”

With a swirl of smoky, dark magic, his wings disappeared again. “They’re all right.” A seductive smile played over his lips. “You’re the first person I’ve brought to my grotto.”

When I turned to look at it, I realized it wasn’t simply a cave. The walls were built with golden stones, and cool, blue water flowed into a pool inset into a tile floor. By the side of the fresh pool stood a bed of flat rock, covered with a mattress and turquoise pillows.

“What is this place?” I asked.

“When I got out of the dungeons, I needed to find a quieter hideaway. In my cell, I craved other people. But now that I’m around them, I’m not used to the noise of the city.” The look in his eyes was endlessly sad, and his throat bobbed. “So this is where I go to escape. Except right now, it’s where I want to be with you.” He took a few steps closer to me.

I reached out to touch his chest, the steel beneath a soft shirt, and he shuddered. “But it must be hard to look at me when I look so much like her.”

His eyes sparkled in the warm light. “It’s confusing for me, too. But you aren’t her. Apart from how you look, you’re nothing like her.”

“Because I’m not sexy?”

His expression turned fierce. “Because you’re willing to risk your own life. Because you put avenging your mother’s memory above your own safety. And because you’re not afraid to admit your flaws. I guess we’re alike in these ways.”

“And we’ve both spent a lot of time alone.” My pulse was racing as I looked up at him, still stunned by his shocking beauty. The candlelight wavered over his high cheekbones, sculpting the divine planes of his face. A dangerous pulse beat through my body, making it hard for me to think straight.

I reached down for the bottom of his shirt, and I slid my hands underneath the soft fabric. When I pulled it off him, my eyes went wide. Holy hell, he looked like a god. His body was thickly corded with muscle, his abs chiseled. He was a warrior dipped in gold.

A thrill lit up my body just looking at him, and I wanted to taste him. When I met his eyes again, I saw them searching mine. I reached for the straps of my gown, and I let it fall to the floor. I heard his sharp intake of breath, and his expression was reverent as his gaze roamed over my sheer blue underwear. With his eyes on me like that, need built within me.

Then he simply looked ravenous. He moved for me and lifted me up against the wall, his hands under my ass. I heard him moan quietly as his mouth met my throat. A hint of his fangs grazed over my skin again. Was he going to bite me? I didn’t hate the thought, and I found myself arching my neck, giving him more access.

But instead of the sharp sting of teeth, I felt the warmth of his tongue swirling over my skin. My fingers threaded into his hair, and I closed my eyes. His sensual magic was stroking over my body now, a hot and dangerous caress. With my legs wrapped around him, I felt my hips rocking against his body.