Page 29 of Insurrection
He was breaking down any walls I’d tried to put up between us.
I needed to ask my own questions, though, to make sense of all of everything—and so my brain would shut the hell up and let me enjoy this. Breathlessly, I inquired, "How do I know I can trust you and that this isn't just a ruse to win my vote and screw my house over?"
His hand immediately left my skin, and I found myself reaching for his wrist. Somehow, even in the dark, I found it and brought it back to my skin. He fought me and ground out in a hurt tone, "Don't, Ama. I won't touch you if you think that is what I am here for."
The emotion that filled his words made me want to apologize for even insinuating dishonorable intentions on his part, but he kept talking before I could. "To be brutally honest, Ama...Yes, my parents sent me to your house to try to retrieve information about your house's plans, but there was no malicious intent on my part. I do their bidding to keep them from punishing me, as they so enjoy doing."
"Fin..." I started, my heart splintering with his admission and my hand sliding down his wrist to his fingers, gripping them on my own. He grabbed the glass of wine from my occupied hand and set it aside.
His hand returned, twining our fingers together, and his head rested on top of mine as he said, "I didn’t tell you that so you’d feel sorry for me. I told you so you’d understand that I will always be honest with you and that my intentions and feelings for you are true and my own. I have never felt so enraptured by anyone before you..." He trailed off momentarily, and I felt like I needed to interject.
"I feel it too," I admitted, scared out of my mind to say it out loud. It was easier in the dark. It was easier when I felt like nothing existed outside of us and this steam-filled bathroom. But saying it out loud made it real, and damn...I didn't know how to handle this situation anymore. I knew I needed to guard myself, but my heart was screaming at me to let Finias in.
There was a shift in his energy when I admitted my feelings, and a low growl escaped him as his body shifted. His hand stroked my breast once more, simultaneously stroking the flame of desire within me. He tweaked, pinched, and rolled my nipple until I was panting.
His hand trailed lower to cup my pussy as he demanded, "Do not distance yourself from me again, Ama. I don't think I can bear it."
I nodded back, completely forgetting we were in a pitch-black room. One of his fingers trailed across my slit then circled my clit as he commanded my answer in a hard, almost intimidating voice. "Ama. Tell me you won't do that again."
"Yes. Yes, I promise," I answered hurriedly, my back arching when he responded by slowly sinking a finger into my core. I bit down on my lip to hold back the moan that threatened to escape as he curled it inside of me, his other hand dipping into the water to rub my clit at the perfect pace and pressure.
"I'll hold you to that. The night after tomorrow, you are accompanying me to the ball. I want everyone to know that you chose to be with me. To be on my arm. To be mine.”
Shit.Why did I feel like I’d just thrown myself into the deep end with that promise? This would complicate everything with the other houses if I showed favoritism, and it woulddefinitelyruffle Drayven’s feathers.
I couldn't even formulate words to respond to him, and he began to play me like an instrument he was well acquainted with. I had absolutely no idea how he knew my body this well, but it was beyond intoxicating. Finias increased his pace until I was right at the edge of my release, then he demanded, "Come all over my hand, Ama. Come for me."
And I did. I unraveled and clamped my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming my release. Finias worked his magic through it, prolonging my orgasm for as long as possible. I was nearly shaking as his whispered words, which I only faintly heard, echoed against my ear. My eyes felt heavy with relief from the pleasure coursing through me. A faint whisper of my succubus powers reached out, feeding off of the pleasure he gave me, replenishing my energy storage. I hadn’t realized how drained I’d felt until I felt that part of myself settle inside of me with a contented sigh.
I dropped my hand from my mouth, still feeling dazed, as his hands retracted from me. I felt a kiss on the top of my head as he whispered, "I'll see you tomorrow, Ama. Don't forget your promise."
Then he was gone, and I was left lying in the tub wondering what else was going to come my way at this Summit. My world had already drastically changed and it was only day one. I had a feeling my life wouldn't be the same by the end of this.
Chapter Thirteen
Damien
Holden would never have been this nervous. No, my fearless older brother wouldn’t have felt any of the emotions I was currently experiencing. The jolting sense of anxiety surging through me as I walked the ground of the Summit estate. The claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in this stupid outfit and wanting to shift into my Hellhound form. The tension that had plagued my body from the time I’d found out I’d be going to this damned event.
No, Holden would have been far more prepared and calm. The prodigal son would have led our house flawlessly through the Summit, next to my parents, probably somehow managing to secure the vote for us to be Supreme.
I would be lucky if I didn’t shift in the middle of one of these stuck up, stuffy events. I didn’t have the best control over my Hellhound. Well, that was putting it mildly. Strong emotions could make me shift in a split second, and finding my way to a rational headspace to come back from it was even harder.
A part of me wanted to stay shifted and run away from it all.
Holden should be the future king of the House of Hellfire, not me. I knew it. My parents knew it. Hell, Holden knew it, and the only reason he wasn’t was because he had chosen a different path. One that wasn’t nearly as prestigious but somehow made him even more special in the eyes of everyone.
He had chosen to become a teacher at the military school our territory of Infernum featured. It was one of the best in the realm and, as he put it, ‘taught the next generation to be proud of their heritage.’ Which translated to the unspoken ‘willing to die for it’ clause that they subconsciously taught each and every one of the students.
I was no different, in that my loyalty was steadfast, but I also wasn’t blind, and I knew the true purpose of institutions like that was a bit of brainwashing.
But because he had chosen that path, I had to be king one day. Fun shit. Not.
Of course, my parents had acted like it wasn’t a big deal, and I knew in some ways my father was pleased the crown would be passed on to me. After all, I was the far more reactive, temperamental, and dangerous member of the family, which would have people easily falling in line. But unlike my brother, I would never be a leader. I would rule, not lead. The position I was put in very clearly showcased my flaws, and I had accepted them already, not willing to waste time on self-loathing because I wasn’t as perfect as Holden.
It didn’t stop me from being nervous, though. I knew my parents were watching and waiting to see how I would do and, of course, I wanted to exceed their expectations. What nineteen-year-old didn’t want to make their parents proud? I just had to find a way to break out of the shadow my older brother constantly cast over me. Something that would be a bit difficult, considering I wasn’t very good at having my shit together on the best of days. I had good intentions but, you know, that whole self-control thing...
Running a hand through my messy dark hair, I glared at the princely outfit I’d been forced to wear. I was most comfortable in jeans, barefoot, with no shirt on. But a hoodie or t-shirt would also work perfectly fine most days. Just not whatever the hell this was.
