Page 63 of Queen of the Wicked
Erebos sighed. “Don’t give me too much credit. The sins I have committed to get here have been far from admirable.” He scoffed and resumed his strokes on her thigh. “When King Amos gifted me this realm, it felt like a twisted joke. Who am I to determine who is worthy enough for a second chance when I have so much blood on my hands? I deserve to be in the Unknown myself.” A beat, and then, “I am no leader to look up to.”
“You really think that’s true? You didn’t choose to do those things, Erebos. You were forced to.”
“Maybe, but I could have said no, too. I could have refused to kill innocents in place of my own life, but I’m no martyr.”
“Thought we weren’t focusing on thewhat-ifs?” she teased.
He lifted his hand and flicked her nose, the action so juvenile she couldn’t produce anything but laughter. Erebos’s eyes filled with warmth at the sound. “My past is much different than yours, Alessia. You have killedbecause you needed to, whereas I have killed because I felt threatened and was too terrified of dying to say no.” He hesitated before admitting, “It’s important you know that when I look at you, I don’t see a sinner. I do not see someone who belongs here.”
Curiosity got the best of her when she replied, “Then what do you see?”
As if he’d thought about his answer to this question for a while, he held her gaze with absolute certainty as he said, “I see strength. Courage.I see a woman who has the power of this realm and perhaps more running through her veins whilst handling it with ease, and I see a woman who knocked my general on his ass three times—someone so hauntingly beautiful that it is an effort not to kneel before you. A privilege to be in your presence. Anhonorto breathe the same air as you.”
More tears cascaded down her face at his confession, and she allowed Erebos to catch every single one. His compliments healed pieces of her fractured heart. It felt a lot like tying loose ends up or mending a final stitch.
Apparently, her power felt the same.
Tendrils weaved through his hair, causing him to groan. They brushed along his face, drifting down his broad shoulders and corded arms until she hesitated to allow them to explore further.
Yes,the feminine voice urged.
Take.
Take.
Take.
“The smoke doesn’t scare me, Alessia.” Sensing her reluctance, he leaned in closer, invading her senses andsending a waft of cherries directly up her nose. “It intrigues me.Youintrigue me. And if you want to play with your smoke and test its capability of providing pleasure, I will gladly volunteer to be your test subject.”
Blazing desire coursed through her, threatening to consume all she was from the inside out. Every part of Alessia felt like it was on fire, a conflagration of embers that only Erebos seemed to be able to put out. It had started when she first saw him, and with every interaction, it had only added to the bonfire of emotions she housed for him. His admission just acted as the match, and now there was no hope of dousing it.
With heavy-lidded eyes, Alessia was bolder than she’d ever been when she tentatively straddled the Lord of Hell. At this angle, she stared down athim,that sense of dominance eliciting inevitable arousal. “You have to promise me something first,” she said.
His response was immediate. “Anything.”
“I don’t want to hear you say you belong in the Unknown ever again. The scars of your past were forced upon you, regardless of whether or not you submitted to the torture. If your life weren’t on the line, you never would have killed those souls, and I know my opinion doesn’t mean much, but you’re far from evil, Erebos. To me, at least.”
Their connection flared to life, humming with contentment for the second time that day. The Lord of Hell didn’t know what to do with himself as he flicked his eyes to his lap, where her thighs were straddling his, before meeting her gaze again. Finally, he dipped hischin in agreement. “I’m learning that your opinion is the only one that matters, Alessia.”
With no red aura to detect, she couldn’t control herself any longer. Her lips pressed against his with enough force to make him shoot a hand behind him to support his weight on the rock. His free hand gripped her hip, elongating his body as an offering for hers to do whatever she pleased, but not before cursing against her mouth and reattaching his lips to hers.
This was her first kiss, but Alessia didn’t feel self-conscious. How could she when Erebos devoured her whole, slipping his tongue inside her mouth like he couldn’t get enough? His lips seemed made for hers, a comfort that she didn’t expect to occur during what was meant to be an awkward encounter.
The scent of cherries was almost overwhelming, but Alessia inhaled it like she’d never get the chance to smell it again. It was intoxicating. Earth-shattering.Mind-blowing.
She sent her smoke to travel between their bodies, lapping against his t-shirt to feel the hard planes of muscle beneath. Her hands tugged at the curls on the nape of his neck, dragging her against him as if to pull him closer. They were already glued to each other, but it didn’t feel like it was hardly enough.
Alessia wanted more.
“Shit,” he panted when she used her smoke to bunch his t-shirt to his neck. He hung his head back, eyes screwed tight. The same scars marred his chest, a reflection of all the trauma he had endured, and all Alessia wanted to do was make him forget every single one.
She ran her fingertips along the trail of hair above the waistband of his trousers, gasping when she moved her hips to find what settled between them. He already told her demons had big cocks, butthis…
Well, she supposed she’d never seen a cock in person before, only those depicted in paintings and books, but they surely weren’t this large.
“All for you,” he said, drawing her away from her thoughts. “No one but you.”
Covered in blood, dirt, and venom, she shouldn’t feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, but Erebos had a way of making her forget how terrible she looked. He gazed upon her like one would a goddess. Like he was seconds away from worshipping her if only she asked.
