“No!” She made a fist around the band, shoving her hand behind her back.
With a growl, he leaned forward, arm snaking around her waist, wings all but enclosing her.
His scent surrounded her. He smelled like a sun-warmed evergreen that had just caught fire. She hadn’t imagined the heat of his skin before; it seemed to sear her.
Right in front of her mouth was one of his piercings. When she turned her head away, he leaned over her even more. His rippling chest rubbed her breasts. A gasp left her lips when that piercing raked across her own nipple.
His breaths grew ragged, tickling the tip of her sensitive ear, and she nearly moaned. She had the insane urge to snatch his long black hair and yank him down for a kiss.
What is happening to me?
She was so distracted by these sensations that he easily snagged her hand. He sat back on his haunches, dragging her fist to his chest. Prying open her fingers, he retrieved the ring. Yet then he stilled, seeming transfixed by their hands. Hers looked small and pale next to his huge claw-tipped one.
Breaking his stare, he tried to shove the band onto her finger.
She struggled. “Stop it, you brute! I don’t want it!”
“You’ll wear whatever I command you to,” he said, his voice even huskier than usual.
He flattened her hand against his chest, straightening her fingers. He didn’t seem to notice that he’d placed her palm right over a nipple. Her lips parted, her attention dipping.
His impossibly large dick was hard again. Stunned by the sight, she stopped fighting for just a moment; he slid the ring on, and it tightened around her finger.
“Damn you!” She’d never be able to remove it.
Pinning her gaze with his own, he shifted her hand on his chest. And again. Oh, yes, he’d noticed the placement of her hand, and now he was forcing her to pet him.
Her overstimulated body responded, loving the feel of his chiseled muscles. No, he was a monster! “I don’t want to touch you.”
He peered at her stiff nipples straining against her threadbare bra. “Do you not?” How could three words sound so arrogant? Smirking, he rubbed his tongue over one fang; his tongue was pointed! He looked like he was about to lean in and suckle her.
She’d never had her nipples kissed before. Her breaths shallowed as she imagined what his lips would feel like closing over a peak. His mouth would be so hot. His pointed tongue would flick the tip, circling it. . . .
“Hmm.” The satisfied sound rumbled from his chest, doing strange things to her belly. “I think in this context, you would very much like to be my plaything, Calliope.”
Gripping her wrists with one hand, he lowered his other to rest upon one of her thighs. He inched it higher . . .
Higher . . .
She bit back a whimper, battling the urge to rock her hips in invitation. “Never.”
“Then why do I scent your arousal, little female?”
SIXTEEN
Her body needs mine! Sian wanted to bellow with triumph. The first time he’d ever elicited her arousal scent, and he was in this form!
The mouthwatering honey of her sex would’ve maddened a lesser demon. Blood rushed to his groin, swelling his cock till he thought it’d rip free of his pants.
Her mismatched irises began to glow, both turning a bright, shimmery teal. He’d never seen them change color before! But surely she must have felt some kind of sharp emotion around him during the four months he’d been in Sylvan.
Her thigh trembled beneath his palm, her breasts rising and falling with her panting breaths. Her hard nipples begged for his attention.
His tongue flicked in his mouth. He’d fantasized infinite times about sucking her breasts, rubbing his stubble over them, tonguing her nipples till she came for him.
Was he about to have his fantasy?
I could cover her right now. His gaze flashed to her supple neck. Could he possibly resist marking this female as his own?
She raised her chin. “If I am aroused, it isn’t for you, beast. Never for you. I’d had stirring thoughts before you arrived.”
His excitement dimmed to nothing. He’d been enjoying the effects of her impending transition and nothing more.
Of course.
He gazed at his large demon hand upon her thigh. His black claws were stark against her alabaster flesh. Before he could choke back the words, he’d asked, “Then what does arouse you?”
“At the bottom of my turn-ons list: fuckface demons who abuse me.”
With a harsh curse, he released her and traced to the other side of the tower, willing his erection to wane.
Another loss of control, another close call. He’d nearly rutted her on the floor.
Earlier, the idea of his mate bearing another’s young—and possibly dying again—had made Sian lose his mind. But she wasn’t pregnant, and she now wore a healing ring. No disaster loomed. So why couldn’t he force himself to leave her? “Had you a male?” Say no. . . .
A female this lovely must have. Maybe a lover who’d been helping her through the transition? At the thought, Sian almost rammed his horns into the wall again.
“I have a fiancé.”
I’ll gut that fuck. “A fey, no doubt.” She didn’t deny it. “I absolve you of your agreement with him. In this world, you have no one.”
“Why do you care if I’m engaged? And why would you suddenly ask me if I was pregnant?”
“You died in childbirth in your last life.”
She glanced away sharply—from the shock of what he’d told her, or was there more?
“I will not let anything get in the way of my revenge, not even your death. Which is why I imbued the ring with a healing spell.” His life force depleted to defend hers. Welcome to the world of matehood.
“I thought the option of killing me was on the table. If my torture ceased to amuse.”
“I’ve concluded you will be endlessly entertaining.”