Page 1 of Mortal Demon

CHAPTER1

Riley woke to fingers moving over her bare skin. Where was her long T-shirt? She remembered being so tired, she took off her jeans and crawled into bed. They’d been tracking a demon who abducted a woman near the shelter. After four jumps in and out of the pathway, she was too tired to continue. She took a deep breath as Colton drew a pattern on her back. “That feels nice.”

“I love touching you,” Colton whispered in her ear.

Her head thrashed on the pillow as his lips moved to her breast. He flicked her nipple with his tongue before sucking it into his mouth, taking long, deep pulls, as he sent sparks sizzling beneath her skin. Her fingers curled in his hair as he moved to her other breast.

He was equally attentive to the erect nipple. Her fingers tightened in the silky strands, holding him to her, using him as an anchor amidst the swirl of sensation threatening to pull her under. Stark need built within her. The surrounding air was electrified as her shadow reached for his. Rolling clouds of dark mist swirled together like a vicious tornado. Her fingers clutched the bedsheets when he moved lower, out of her reach.

His tongue was magic as it flicked and nipped her skin, working his way down her stomach to her belly button. He continued his erotic foray over her midsection until she was panting with need. She held her breath as he moved lower, kneeling between her legs. He nipped the inside of her thigh, only to lick the sting away before his tongue slipped between her slick lips. Every flick of his tongue sent a current of electricity beneath her skin, racing in her veins.

Sometimes he would build the fire in her slowly, stoking it ever so gently, but this was not one of those times. He was relentless in his hunger. Ferocious in his need to milk her body. She moaned as she crested the apex, and he was rewarded with the cream he so desperately desired. She was still rolling the wave of her orgasm when he knelt between her legs.

The broad head of his cock lodged at her entrance, feeling like a velvet spike as he pressed into her. The muscles tightened beneath his skin as he controlled the penetration. He was large, and her body still struggled to accommodate his size. Her breath caught in her lungs as he filled her. Her eyes locked with his, acknowledging the feral need exuded by their shadows. Both man and beast were ensnared by the beauty of their mate.

His lips covered hers as he began to move inside her. The craving was unlike anything she’d experienced, and she wanted more. Her body and soul reacted to the beauty of her man. He would never think so, but to her, he was the most beautiful creature to walk the earth. His raw sex appeal only added to the allure of the alpha shadow shifter.

He lifted her hips, angling his body so he could penetrate deeper. Each thick jolt caused her breasts to sway and his gaze to fall upon them. When she didn’t think making love to him could be any more erotic, his thumb moved to her clit and a few well-timed strokes sent her hurtling over the apex once more.

She clamped down on him, expecting to take him with her, but he pumped through her orgasm, unrelenting as he thrust harder. Faster. His fingers bit into her hips as he met every thrust with a frenzy of need. His eyes were glittering dark diamonds. Possessive. Intimate. Unrelenting. The growing sensations had her pumping with him. Meeting each thrust with one of her own.

His cock swelled to almost double its size, stretching her tender flesh. A volcano of hot lava, waiting to explode. The slick tissue was stretched so tight she swore between clenched teeth before the rolling orgasm ripped through her body. She clamped down violently, making him groan as she took him with her over the edge.

It took them a minute to get their breathing under control before he slipped out of her, and moved to the side, pulling her head to his shoulder. Their legs entwined as his hand began to caress her side. “We should start every morning this way.”

She smiled against his chest. “We already do.”

He kissed her forehead. “That’s true.” He looked up as black script formed in the air. “Dannika and Raine will be here in a half hour. We need to get dressed.”

Riley raised her head from his chest. “I didn’t know they were coming. What’s going on?”

“Nothing serious. Dannika wants to help plan our mating ceremony,” he said.

Riley put her head back down. “Everyone’s talking about the ceremony, but I’m still not clear about the tradition. Dannika said it’s similar to a wedding.”

Colton nodded. “Dannika and Raine’s was, but the actual ceremony can be whatever you want it to be. The important thing for me and the clan is just that you’re a part of it now and forever.” He winked. “Raine admits he enjoyed getting presents. Since there hasn’t been a bonding ceremony in hundreds of years, no one was really sure what to get them.”

Riley laughed. “I can imagine. What do you get somebody for a bonding present?”

“Raine and Dannika got everything from tools to weapons. Her favorite present came from Ezra. He is the weapons master, but he made her a locket out of blessed steel. It’s able to travel the pathways with her.”

“What a thoughtful present,” she said.

“Ezra is a blessing. Our weapons master was killed in a reaper attack a few years ago and we have no replacement. Ezra’s apprentice was also killed, but he has promised to stay with us until he trains another.”

“Promised to stay?”

“Ezra is one of the oldest amongst us. He had a son, but Danson died almost fifty years ago. He is tired, but he won’t leave us until we have a suitable replacement. With all the clans working together now, it no longer matters which clan the next weapons master is born to.”

“I hope we find his new apprentice soon. I think training someone will give him life and purpose in the coming years.”

“As do I. Are you ready to get dressed?” he asked.

“Yes.” She rolled out of bed, looking on the floor for her shirt. Colton manifested it in his hands. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

She took it from him. “I have to admit, shifting your clothes to the shadows is pretty convenient.”

He smiled like a schoolboy. “I admit to having a newfound appreciation for it.”

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