Wrath ripped my undergarments off, then brought his mouth to my body, licking hard and deep. I jerked forward, gripping the chair as each flick of his tongue threatened to topple me over. He pulled my hips forward, then pushed back, never once removing his mouth from me.
Holding my gaze, he repeated the action, and I knew what he was requesting without words. And who was I to deny him or myself the pleasure?
I rocked forward, and the demon rewarded me with a satisfied growl that vibrated over my most sensitive area. My cursed skirts fell over him, hiding him from view.
I slowly released the chair and ripped off the lower portion of the gown, earning an amused look from my husband. I braced one hand behind me on his thigh, and the other I tangled into his hair, pulling it until he was angled just right. With my gown out of the way, I could see him and his wicked gaze much better.
Unadulterated hunger crossed his features. “Tug it harder, my lady.”
“Heathen.”
“My dark angel.” Wrath wrapped his arms around me and feasted as I set the pace. His tongue plundered, making my body clench around it until I thought I’d go mad from the feeling. I yanked his hair even harder and rocked against him, my head thrown back. Wrath plunged a finger in with his clever tongue and set a rhythm that had me seeing stars. I came with reckless abandon, moaning his true name as a shock of pleasure bolted through me. Before I’d fully come down, I broke apart again, calling his name like a plea or a curse. Only when my legs started trembling from the aftershocks did the demon press a chaste kiss to my inner thigh. The light caress set my blood on fire again.
What we shared wasn’t nearly enough. But time was our enemy at the moment, and I’d already lost too much. My husband saw the indecision in my face, and I saw the yearning in his. We needed this. Even if it meant I had less time to get the blade, I’d make it work. I moved down his body and guided his thick length into me.
Wrath laced his hands with mine, and together we soon fell over that glorious edge, reminding ourselves what we were fighting so hard for. Love.
TWENTY-FOUR
Domenico snarled when I summoned him. “Do I look like your personal carriage?”
“No. But you will look like a new fur rug if you don’t stop complaining,” I said sweetly.
“You’re not as fun as your sister.”
“Perhaps not to you. But I am as deadly, and unlike Vittoria, if I kill you, you won’t come back. I can’t do that demonic hand trick.” I wriggled my fingers at him. “Let’s move.”
The werewolf made a disgusted noise that sounded suspiciously like choked laughter, then he sank his claws into my arms and stepped into the glittering portal. The gates were still locked from the outside, but traveling by shifter was actually best. Wrath couldn’t transvenio, and even if he could, I didn’t want him to know where I was going. He might suspect I was heading to my version of the Shifting Isles now, but I didn’t want to confirm anything.
If Pride found out that Lucia lived, I had little doubt he would come for her. Seeing Lucia’s memories offered only one side of their story, but as with most tales, I suspected there was much more. If Pride cared for her half as much as Wrath cared for me, then he’d tear the realm apart to make sure she was safe.
And if Wrath had been correct, if Pride had never truly fallen for anyone other than his wife—and it had all been a terrible misunderstanding based on their shared pride—I could only imagine how hard he’d fight to win her back.
When I’d first encountered Pride before the Feast of the Wolf, he’d been growing slumber root and patrolling his grounds with an army none of his brothers knew about. I’d been worried he’d been plotting against Wrath, but now I wondered if he’d been training his guards for other purposes. Perhaps he’d been preparing to fight for his missing wife since she first disappeared.
Nonna had gotten one thing correct about demon princes: they stopped at nothing to get what they desired, especially when their hearts were involved. And if the one they loved most of all was potentially in danger? Then they’d unleash hell to save them.
Grumbling to himself about goddesses, Domenico stepped into the alley near our childhood home, a temple in disguise, and peered down the quiet street. He lifted his head and inhaled, scenting the air for any mortal or supernatural being. “Clear.”
My own senses told me that, but I was pleased for confirmation. His ability to scent was greater than mine. “Stay here. I’ll return as soon as I can. We need to be in and out as quickly as possible.”
Domenico folded his arms across his chest and stared down at me. I knew he’d been tall, but he seemed to have grown over the last few days. He was broader, his muscles more defined. It must be another werewolf trait. “If your sister asks, I’m not going to lie to her.”
“Which is why you don’t know where I’m going.” I patted his chest, and he grimaced. “Make sure no demons followed us. Or witches.”
“I don’t like this.”
“I know. Thank you for doing it anyway.”
Displeasure was written all over his face, but he didn’t argue. As a shifter, his emotions were easily readable. He didn’t hide his feelings like the demons did. Wolves were too close to nature for courtly games.
After what we’d been through, I understood the appeal my sister might see in them. Unlike vampires, witches, and demon princes, it was almost refreshing to know exactly where you stood with a werewolf. It wasn’t the time to ask, but I needed to see what his response was.
“You met Vesta, Greed’s commander.”
“Your point, goddess?”
“I heard a rumor that she might have been half werewolf. If that were true and she chose to run away, would you fight for her if that’s what she wished? Even if Greed were to find out she lived.”
His eyes glowed that pale purple, which indicated he was close to shifting. And he was also enraged. “I would tear the throat out of anyone who threatened my family. And I don’t care about demons enough to aid them in any way, especially if one of their own decided to leave.”
“Are all pack members considered family?”
Domenico lifted his face and breathed deeply. “Go. We’re about to have company.”
I hesitated for the span of one breath. A new theory was forming, but I couldn’t lose my chance at breaking the curse to follow that thread. Soon there would be no clock ticking and I’d solve this mystery once and for all.
I hurried down the alley and darted into the night, sticking to the shadows and listening for any signs of pursuit. It was late enough that most lights were out in the houses I passed. No one walked the streets, save for one or two stragglers who’d been deep in their cups. Claudia would be in bed, but she’d rouse when I knocked at the door. Or tossed a pebble at her window.