Page 67 of Cursed
I sucked in a breath as he dipped his lips to my chest and ran his tongue over the exposed flesh.
The pleasure from his touch forced me to arch closer, pushing myself into his teasing, stroking tongue. I moaned, unable to articulate anything stronger.
“Making love to you will be sacred because you’ll be the first woman I’ve had since being cursed.” Pressing tiny kisses across my stomach, he shifted his weight to move lower.
I tried to focus on what he’d said. “Wait. You haven’t been with anyone since...since...” How many years had he been celibate? And why? I couldn’t fathom what he implied. “You’re joking, right?”
“No.” He slid his hands under my hips, kneading the skin, the stubble of his trimmed beard scratching across my lower stomach as he kissed the flesh. “I can’t touch another human without killing them, and no matter the things I’ve done in the past, necrophilia is most definitelynotone of my vices.”
My chest felt like it had been stabbed with a sword imagining him living such a solitary life. He’d had no one to share his triumphs, his losses, his heart.I can’t even imagine living without my mom, my friends.
“Cain.” I lifted my torso a few inches and placed my hands on his lowered head, tugging his hair until he stopped his tantalizing tongue torture and looked at me. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered, not knowing what else to say.
He dropped his gaze for a second then pushed upward to drape his body over me again, taking my cheek in his hand and rubbing his thumb over my mouth. “Don’t feel sorry for me, but it’s why this”—his mouth pressed to mine, the kiss possessive and warm before he pulled away—“is so special to me. When I claim you, it’s forever.”
I wanted to believe he joked, but his tone turned rough and gravelly, and his unsmiling lips told me our joining would be more than a casual fling. Even though I liked him, more than I probably should have even after everything tonight, I had no plans for commitment until I finished college.
“Why do you look at me this way?” Scowling, he moved his fingers from my cheek and braced himself, the pupils of his icy irises constricting as he speared me with their stare. “I will own every part of you, Precious, or not at all.”
Geez, this guy takes commitment to a whole new level.
“Cain.” Covering my chest with a hand, I glanced at the moon, needing more time to ponder what he wanted, what I wanted. “Maybe—”
“Maybe you two should stop rutting around like succubae and pay attention to your surroundings,” a dry, accented voice drawled.
Every muscle in Cain’s body tensed, and he jerked away, his unreadable glance meeting mine for a second before he jumped to his feet. The ebony armor from earlier wrapped his body, covering him from neck to feet, and my clothes reappeared as if they’d never been gone.
He pivoted in the direction of the voice. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Cain shifted his attention slightly, as if scoping out the area beyond the private patio, toward the dark tree line and beyond, where the cliffs fell away to the creek.
Sitting up, I planted my feet to the cool stone, wishing Cain would’ve also materialized my shoes, which were still lying under the chaise lounge.Not the most important thing right now, Phoebe.
Standing ten feet away from me, with his wings spread wide, Malachi’s enormous form blocked out some of the moonlight. His cold, beautiful, dispassionate face seemed to eat whatever light managed to caress his skin.
His purple eyes landed on me, and a calculating look came over his face. “There’s the little minx. You’ll be happy to know my wounds have healed.” He gave a dry laugh, the sound reminiscent of dead leaves scraping over rocks, as he held out his perfect, unblemished palms. “Or maybe you won’t.” He eyed me, waiting for my reaction.
“Too bad. They would’ve made great scars.” I bit my lip to keep from saying anything else. He might’ve scared me, but it didn’t mean I had to let him see it.
I expected Malachi’s earlier fury, but instead, he only offered a cold smile.
Cain stepped closer, his body shielding me somewhat as he lowered a hand on my shoulder, the squeeze of his fingers warm and reassuring. “Leave her alone, Malachi.
“Fraternizing with your assignments, huh?” He clucked his tongue and lifted an eyebrow. “I wonder what Lucian would think.”
“How did you get past my alarms?”
Malachi shook his head. “Did you forget who I am?” With a quick snap, he flapped his wings, sending a gust of wind and dust to swirl across the patio and throwing embers from the firepit into the dark sky. “No matter how hard you try, Cain, you willneverbe as strong as us.”
I stood, pushing against Cain’s back and leaning out a bit to keep my attention on the winged demon standing before us with a snide curl to his lip.
“Go back to Hell. I don’t answer to you.” Cain squeezed his hands into fists. Dark energy swirled around his knuckles, flowing in circles—a maelstrom of strange power my mind still tried to understand. “And this is not your mission.”
“Oh, you’re mistaken.” Malachi stepped forward, leisurely closing the distance between the two. “This little human is pivotal for one of us.” Another of his booted feet slid closer, the scrape of a pebble underneath a soft sigh in the night. “What’s more...while you’ve been coddling her like a lovesick fool, I’ve figured out Lucian’s interest.”
“Cain, what’s he talking about?” My whisper sounded too harsh and heavy.
Instead of answering, Cain ran a hand through his hair, shifting the strands so the longer bangs fell into his face. The world seemed to hold its breath as I waited for his response.
“Phoebe, is it?” Malachi crooned, letting a small grin form, then moved his focus to Cain. “I’m afraid he hasn’t been entirely truthful with you.”
