Page 55 of To Crave Deeply
His hand cupped my jaw and his mismatched eyes burned into me with an intensity that had my knees trembling. “Lori, you need to keep your distance. She will use you to get what she wants.”
I pulled back. “Torsten, I am not a fool. I know she probably has every intention of tossing me to the curb the moment we reach the original witch, but I can’t change the fact that I have empathy for her. From what she’s told me, her father didn’t want her. I know what that feels like. What it does to you. Throw in years of never resting, of hopping from one person to the next, and that is bound to leave a bitterness and a skewed world view. She deserves to have someone try to help her because in the end, aren’t we all worthy of someone who will show a willingness to help us?”
Torsten sighed and rested his forehead against mine. “You are quite something.”
A smile curled one corner of my lips. “Something good, I hope?”
He smiled back and huffed a small laugh. “Definitely something good. Please, just be careful.”
I pressed my lips to his cheek. “Always.” I took a step back and playfully swatted his shoulder. “And besides, I’ve got you keeping an eye on me. What the Hell could happen with a mighty Shadow Fiend protecting me?”
He rolled his eyes and I chuckled. His fingers wrapped around my wrist and trailed the shadow mark he had given me when we had first met. It was like a protection spell; he would be able to sense me even if I were on a different plane. And if I needed him, I just had to call him with intent, and he would come running to my rescue.
“May I reapply this? I want to be able to find you.”
In case anything bad happened in the Pit and we got separated. My heart lurched as I thought about the intimacy involved in applying it. He’d have his tongue on my skin and he’d bite me. Who knew I had a thing for teeth? But throw me into the clutches of a sexy vampire and hot Shadow Fiend and all I can think of doing is screaming “bite me.”
“Yes,” I said breathlessly.
“Thank you,” he replied with a rumble that had desire coiling in my belly. There was no sign of Iveri at the moment, so I was going to fucking enjoy this.
Torsten lifted my wrist to his mouth. He had to bend down because he was so tall, but the moment his lips touched my skin, I gasped. His mouth was so hot, his tongue as he dragged it across the sensitive flesh on the inside of my wrist was so rough that it sent delicious little shivers straight to my aching centre. A moan escaped my lips and I felt Torsten’s mouth pull into a wide smile against my skin, right before there was a sharp pinch and his fangs pierced my skin.
It was so different from Jasper’s bite. This was more brutal, and it wasn’t about feeding. This was about marking me, and fuck me, but it was hot. My knees trembled and my heart raced as a warm tingling sensation spread from the point where Torsten had bitten me. He swiped his tongue across my wrist again, sealing the wound, and then the tingling disappeared, leaving Torsten staring at me like he was imagining devouring every inch of me.
“Thank you,” I muttered pathetically. I couldn’t seem to get my mind out of the gutter. It was imagining all sorts of dirty things that involved Torsten and way less clothes.
“You’re welcome,” he replied gruffly as his eyes trailed my body. We needed to move because if we didn’t, I was going to throw myself at him.
“Come on, let’s go and find the Pit of Hell. Something tells me we’re not that far away now. I just hope the smell isn’t as bad down there.” Nothing could be worse than the horrendous stench that assaulted my nostrils with every breath.
“I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” Torsten replied dryly as we marched towards the horizon. The ragged wastelands that spread out before us were dead and dusty. I just hoped that when we got to the next level there was something more interesting to look at. I was sick at looking at all this fucking sand.
Chapter 19
RAE
Lucifer was a dick. He was grumpy, moody and an asshat. I didn’t care that he was dying; if he didn’t stop grumbling and throwing a tantrum every time something failed, I swear to god, I was going to help him into that grave he was perilously close to.
Goddammit, but this was bloody frustrating. Nothing we did to strengthen the wards worked, and Lucifer had taken it upon himself to blame me for it.
“If you would just quit your goddam whining for one minute and let me think, I’d be grateful,” I snapped.
He huffed and folded his arms. I shouldn’t snap at him, I knew he was just as annoyed as I was, probably more so since these were his wards, but that didn’t give him the right to treat me like he was.
I was thankful that Michael was here, acting as a bridge between us. It helped that he was nice to look at, too. I mean, that crisp white shirt stretching over that torso was doing pleasant things to my insides. And those navy slacks he wore… well, it left very little to the imagination. But I also admired the way the angel seemed to have an unlimited amount of patience. It was certainly helping to stop my curse-thirsty ways. I loved Lori dearly, but I was about ten seconds away from cursing the Devil.
“What’s the problem? Why isn’t anything working?”
Heavens, even Michael’s voice was smooth and calming, like silk wrapping around my senses. Jeez, he could narrate the dictionary and I’d be fucking smitten. I shook the distracting thoughts from my head and nope, I didn’t notice the way the lanterns caught the shimmering gold strands in his hair looking almost like a halo. Nope. I didn’t notice at all.
Well, notmuch.
“It’s like they’re resisting the help. Almost like they think that it is inevitable that they’ll die.” I looked around the ancient room and sighed. This was supposed to be the most powerful place in all of Hell. It was deep under the palace and filled with Lucifer’s magic.
Well, should have been. The runes etched in the walls were barely visible. They should be radiating a beautiful glow, but it was like their light had been smothered under a blanket.
Michael turned his bright green eyes towards me, and I could sense a desperation lurking in their emerald depths. “Is there anything else you can try?”
