Page 12 of Can't Bite This Feeling
We’re both silent for several minutes, reveling in the heat of each other, in the impossibility of being together again. His heartbeat is steady against my cheek, a strange, slow rhythm that seems almost human. I suppose him having a functioning heart is another “benefit” of becoming a greed demon.
The world feels wrong, my memories like shattered glass, but in Rapha’s arms, I can breathe.
I tilt my head, catching a glimpse of those crimson eyes. There is so much pain there. So much hope.
And so much love.
“You kept it,” I murmur, touching the locket that rests against his chest.
“Of course. It was like carrying a piece of you against my heart.”
I smile, humbled by his admission. “Where am I?”
“This is the Blackbriar Inn. It’s on the edge of a small town called Screaming Woods. I’ll take you out when you’re ready, once we’ve talked. Show you this new world.”
“Okay,” I say simply, not sure how else to respond. My location means nothing to me apart from the wordinn. At least that’s something I’m familiar with.
“So, you’re a demon now?” I ask, sensing the new darkness clinging to him, something more profound than simply his new demon persona.
His arms tighten around me. “Yes,” he admits as if he’s confessing to a sin. “A demon of greed. Lucifer’s personal collector.”
A shiver skates across my skin at the name, but I force myself to stay still, stay close. “What… what does that mean?”
His crimson gaze flickers, the glow dimming with regret. “It means I trade in souls, Dru. I tempt them, reap them, deliver them to Hell. It means I wear these horns”—he taps the right one—“these talons, and these eyes.” He tries to smile, but it falters. “But it also means I was able to bring you back.”
I rest my hand against his chest, feeling the slow, monstrous beat of his heart. “You weren’t jesting when you said you made a deal with the devil,” I whisper, unable to keep the ache from my voice.
“For you,” he says fiercely, unrepentantly. “Only you.”
Tears prick my eyes, but I blink them away. If Rapha can sacrifice his soul, I can bear this new world. I can bear anything.
“You shouldn’t have,” I murmur, though my traitorous heart swells at the truth of it.
His lips brush my temple reverently. “But I did.”
We sit in silence, the weight of the centuries between us pressing into our bones. He holds me like he might break if he lets go, and I hold him the same way.
Finally, I lift my head, brushing away a tear. “When we go outside, will it be…safe?”
His grin is sharp, a flash of his old arrogance mingled with demon confidence. “Not for anyone who tries to hurt you.”
I let out a shaky laugh, burying my face against his throat once more, breathing him in.
Safe. With Rapha, I will always be safe.
No matter what we’ve become.
Chapter 3
Rapha
I still can’t believe she’s here in my arms. She’s as beautiful as I remember, all lush curves and dark, hypnotic eyes, her ebony hair spilling across my chest like midnight silk. But it’s more than beauty. It’sher. The spark, the fire, the wildness. The woman who once chose me over an empire.
Gods, how I’ve missed her. I want to ravish her, consume her, revel in her essence. I want to bury myself deep inside her until my cock is sated and my soul reclaims the peace I’ve only ever found with her. But I hold back. She’s terrified. Uncertain of this new world. I need to give her time.
I’ve waited centuries. I can wait a little longer.
I stroke my claws gently along her spine through the thin cotton shift she wears, careful not to scratch her soft skin. Every beat of her heart drums against me like a warning:fragile, fragile, fragile.It terrifies me more than any blade ever could.
