Slap. Alysanne yelped as something hard hit her backside. Pain raced through her body and numbed her mind. Then Darien ran his palm over the sensitive spot. Pleasure rippled through her, chasing away the pain. She tightened the muscles in her lower abdomen as liquid heat ran through her core.
“Every time you refuse to answer a question, every time you lie to me, you’ll feel this sting. Do you understand?”
Alysanne nodded and flexed her fingers. She knew it was a punishment, but it felt so good. She briefly considered not answering his questions so she could feel the sting again.
He flicked his hand under her robe, then lifted the garment up higher on her back. Cool air brushed against her skin as he bunched the fabric around the lower part of her rib cage. Then he ran his fingers in a smooth, sensual line down her spine, ending them at the curve in her ass.
“Good. Now I’m going to ask you some questions and I want you to answer me truthfully. Then, when we’re done…” His voice trailed off as he slipped his fingers down and around the curve of her backside. The lower he went, the quicker her breathing became. This was pure torture, but not torture the way her ancestors intended. No, this was a different type of torture indeed.
“When we’re done…” He reached down in between her legs and ran his fingers over her slick folds. “When we’re done, I’m going to do something about this.”
Aly gasped as he plunged a rough finger into her opening. Her inner muscles stretched, and the intrusion sent a bolt of need up through her core. He turned his finger, sliding it along her slick walls until he found a particularly sensitive spot. She groaned as pleasure rippled up her center and fanned out through her body.
“You like this, don’t you?”
Yes. Aly’s emotions were so strong, so all-consuming, that all she could do was nod in reply.
“Then do as I say and next time I won’t use my finger.” He withdrew and silence filled the room.
This was an odd predicament to say the least. She had seen humans possessed by deamhans before. She had even killed some of them. Darien was acting different than those other possessed humans, however. He talked a good talk, but lacked the desire to break bones and kill. No, Darien craved sexual satisfaction over killing, and for a deamhan that meant infusing pain and pleasure.
She was beginning to wonder if that was something she secretly craved as well. No one had ever spanked her before. No one had tied her up with the intent of fucking her senseless. It was. . .hot. Real hot.
“Darien?” The room was quiet, too quiet. She tested the cuffs again, yanking her hands back toward her chest. They didn’t budge. She tried to shift her feet, but the bar in between her legs held her open, exposing her sensitive folds to whatever Darien had planned.
“Fuck.” His whispered curse sliced through the air as he walked away.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I—I can’t do this.”
She glanced over her shoulder to see him crouched low and holding his head in his hands. His internal struggle played out over his features. She wanted to do something to help him, something that would give him an edge over the monster inside his mind. Perhaps if she let him have his way with her, the monster inside would become appeased, and Darien could gain the upper hand.
It would mean subjecting herself to the paddle and whatever else the deamhan wanted to do with her. It would mean trusting Darien to gain the upper hand before the monster inside clipped her wings. Most importantly, it would mean trusting Darien not to take the stone and run after his inner monster was appeased.
Aly fisted her hands as tension filled the room. She couldn’t worry about anything else right now. The most important thing was allowing Darien to control his inner monster. If he didn’t get a grip, then she was as good as dead.
“It’s okay, Darien.”
“No, it’s—”
“I want this.”
She faced front as he stood and walked over to her.
“You do?”
She raised her chin and met his gaze. “I do.”
“Amazing.” He threaded his fingers through her hair and pushed it back from her face. She inhaled his masculine scent, and the action caused her pebbled nipples to press into the table.
Darien walked slowly around the table and out of her line of vision. “It is not typical for a woman to ask for pain.”
“I know.”
“You are different.”
“Yes.” The ache between her legs grew and she longed to touch herself, to relieve some of the pressure building there, but she couldn’t reach her pussy from her position. Maybe if she wiggled just right, she could ease some of the ache by rubbing her body against the metal table…
Slap. “You only move if I say so. Understand?”
“Yes.” Once again, the flash of pain was quickly replaced with the calming roll of pleasure.
“Lift your hips.”
She tried her best to go up on her tiptoes, raising her backside into the air. Darien slipped something smooth and soft underneath her belly. The scent of her arousal filled the air as she was spread wider and higher than she ever thought possible.
“This pillow will help angle your body so that your most sensitive parts are exposed to the paddle. If you refuse to answer my questions, then I will be forced to torture you until you do.”
His voice rippled through her like rolling thunder, dark, disturbing and distant. The deamhan was in control now and she couldn’t help but feel a little excited.
Bring it. She was ready. “I understand,” she said.
“Good.” He ran his fingers over the smooth cheek of her ass. “I’d hate to harm anything so perfect.”
Liar. She could hear the excitement in his voice. Darien had become aroused over the thought of paddling her backside—just like she had become aroused. She groaned as he slipped his fingers into the crack between her cheeks, then ran them down over the opening in her backside. He lingered there, gently probing her opening. A ripple of need ran through her as anticipation filled the air.
He slid the tip of his finger just inside her opening. Aly gasped as her muscles stretched to accommodate the intrusion. Then he slid his finger back outside her body and the pain ceased. Back and forth he moved, inching a little deeper each time. Aly groaned as pain gave way to pleasure. She started to move against his hand, wanting him to push harder.
“You like that, don’t you?”
She nodded, unable to speak. No one had ever touched her there before. It felt so . . . forbidden. Aly wondered if he planned on taking her from behind. The thought wasn’t unappealing. She closed her eyes and imagined him positioned behind her, thrusting his cock deep inside her ass. A shudder ran through her body as her desire intensified.
He slipped his hand lower. “Do you like this?” He dipped his hand between her legs and slid a different finger in between her folds.
Aly shuddered as desire wound around her body. It felt good, but it wasn’t nearly enough. She wanted all of him inside of her. She wanted him to feel as good as she did.
“Do you want more?” He asked as pulled his hand away.
“Yes,” she whispered.
He returned his finger, this time running it along the outer rim of her opening. He was teasing her, she realized. Tempting her.
“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he whispered. “You are enjoying this, aren’t you?”
She didn’t answer, couldn’t answer over the raw surge of emotion rolling through her. The air around them stilled and the darkness only added to the excitement. His touch was like fire and it burned not only her body, but her soul.
“Please…” She hated to beg, it was against her nature, but she was a desperate woman. She’d give anything to replace his finger with his cock, to feel his large head push past her opening and plunge deep inside her channel.
He lingered along her outer rim, damn him, sliding his long fingers once more through her moisture. It was so infuriating. Didn’t he know that she needed more from him than a brush of his hand?
Suddenly he pulled away, leaving her feeling empty and alone.
“Let’s begin. Who are you?”
She hesitated. Did he mean her name or the fact that she was an Iatros?
Slap. The blast vibrated her body, sending pain into crevices she never knew she had. Oh sweet mother, it felt good, real good. The room faded around her until she became entirely focused on the man behind her. As she closed her eyes, she became attuned to his every breath, his every touch.
“Let’s try this again. I know you’re not human and I’ve never seen your species before. What are you?”
“Iatros.” She spoke without thinking, then cursed herself for being so stupid. He wasn’t going to spank her if she answered truthfully.
“What’s that?”
She pressed her lips together and refused to answer. Darien might not know, but the deamhan possessing him did. The fact that Darien asked the question showed that he was gaining control over his inner monster.
Slap. “Answer me.”
Her words fell out of her in a breathless rush. “We’re guardians of the portal between hell and earth. Born of the Earth Mother, we are charged with protecting all of her creatures from the monsters of the Netherworld.”
“You mean from creatures like me.” His voice sounded lower, more dangerous.
“Yes.”
He ran his hand over her cheek, soothing the spot where he hit. Desire rose up inside her core. If only he’d slip that hand a little lower…
“What’s your name?” he asked, scattering her thoughts.
Her name? A name was such an intimate thing. To know one’s name gave them a certain power over you. Did she want Darien to have that kind of power over her?
Slap. “What’s your name?” His voice echoed through the room. Loud and menacing, she knew that Darien the man was losing his fight. He spanked her with the paddle again, and her entire body trembled under the force of his hand.
“Alysanne—but my friends call me Aly.”
“Aly.” He tested the word on his lips. “I like that.”
She did too. At least, she liked the sound of it when he said it. It was almost as if he was savoring the sound.
“Why do you like pain so much?” he asked. “Iatros do not like pain.”
This was his deamhan talking now, she was sure of it. “I don’t know. This is all new to me, too.”
“Liar.” Slap.
Her whole body thrummed. Yes, it hurt, but there was something more to it than pain. With each hit, he seemed to bring her closer to an abyss of nothingness, a place where she’d be safe and protected. A place Bathin couldn’t reach and where her sister couldn’t scold her. A place where she’d find a greater pleasure than she had ever known.
If she went there, she knew that she would become lost to him. Darien would have no hope of conquering the darkness. So instead of dropping down inside herself, she held back and searched her mind for an explanation, anything that would please him.
“This is new. I had no idea pain could be this. . .” She shook her head and tried a different explanation, one she better understood. “Certain Iatros form connections with humans. When that happens, they become what the humans need. I never liked pain before. I never needed it before this moment.”
“You think we have a connection?” His voice softened. It was difficult to tell who asked the question: the monster or the man.
“I know it.” She closed her eyes and felt her soul start to spin. In her mind, she watched her magik withdraw from her wings, infuse with her spirit, and form the long rope she had only heard about in stories.
“The connection just happens,” she whispered. “Neither the Iatros nor the human can control it. My people call it a spirit-bond, and the people tied together are called spirit-mates.”
“I’m not human.” His voice was low and menacing.
“I did not form it with you, deamhan. I formed it with Darien.” Their connection probably started before he crossed the portal. If that was the case, then it would explain her fascination with him over the past year, and her need to be close to him. It also explained how their brief contact six months ago had such a lasting impression on them both.
None of her people had ever bound their life-force with an infected human before. Deamhans were known to kill Iatros, not mate with them. For all she knew, becoming Darien’s life-mate could kill her.
“Filthy Iatros. This was a trick. Undo this hold you’ve placed over me.”
“I can’t.” She tightened her muscles, preparing for what was to come.
Slap. “Do it!”
“I can’t.” She gasped as the paddle hit her once more. “Darien, I know you’re listening. I can feel the good inside you. Fight the monster trying to take over your body. Fight it!”
“Darien can’t speak to you right now.” He slipped his paddle down and eased it between her thighs. “There is only me.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“That is not my problem.” He turned the paddle and brushed the handle in between her folds. She moistened her lips as pleasure tingled through her core, making her light-headed.
“You haven’t killed me yet. That proves the evil hasn’t fully consumed you. Let my people help you, Darien. As long as there is good inside, there’s hope.”
“Oh sweetheart, there’s no hope for me. Not anymore.” He pressed the tip of the paddle just inside her opening and slid it back.
Aly groaned as desire surged through her core. “What are you going to do to me?”
“I’m going to give you as much pleasure as possible.” He thrust the end of the paddle deep into her opening, causing pleasure to blossom through her body. She groaned as he pulled back, then arched her back as he thrust again.
“Yes.”
“I’m going to make you come harder than you ever thought possible, my little Iatros.” He thrust the paddle handle hard, and she moaned as a sense of urgency rose up inside her core. “Then, when your orgasm hits . . .” He pulled the paddle back and leaned over her body until his lips were inches from her ear. “When you give yourself over to me and unfold your pretty wings in ecstasy, I will rip them from your body and make them my own.”
“No!” Aly gasped as he thrust the paddle hard and fast, filling her with intense pleasure.
“That’s it. Focus on how good it feels.” He thrust in a rough, rhythmic motion, the force bringing her up onto her toes.
Need surged through her and she curled her fingers into her palms to keep from crying out in pleasure. Yes. Oh God.
Sensation rose up through her body and Alysanne’s mind blanked until she no longer could think, only feel. Desire surged and her body wound tight. Her senses heightened. She felt Darien’s quickening heartbeat, heard his ragged breath. He pressed himself tighter against her as he moved the handle in and out of her center. His scent surrounded her and the air sparked with tension and excitement.
She was helpless to fight it. She knew that if she orgasmed, he’d take her wings, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. Things were moving too fast. Aly flexed her fingers, eager to touch the man who made her body sing. She wanted to feel his skin, pull him into her body until they were joined forever.
In and out he moved, each thrust sending a new wave of need through her body. Higher and higher her emotions rose, taking with them all rational thought. She groaned, she bucked, but most of all she yearned. The room became hotter and hotter and the pressure built so high inside her that she thought that she might burst. She started to stretch higher and higher, reaching for that unseen goal.
Aly cried out with each thrust, her voice rising up to echo off the rafters. Darien was merciless, his steady, even rhythm pushing her higher, winding her tighter. Oh sweet mother, the pressure was becoming too much, way too much, but she didn’t want him to stop. Oh please, don’t stop.
He was driving her wild. She arched her back, pressing her left ass cheek harder against his swollen cock. He groaned and moved faster, building her need like a cresting wave. Then she hovered on the edge of something big and wondrous, something indefinable. She was suspended in the air as the pressure built deep inside her body.
No! She couldn’t do this. If his inner deamhan took her wings she’d die and Darien would become lost. She had to fight her instincts. Fight!
With the next thrust, she did something she never thought she’d do. She faked her orgasm.
She had never orgasmed before, so she wasn’t entirely sure how to make it convincing, but she must have done something right, because his movements started to slow. She hated herself for what she was doing, hated how she was still needy and weak with desire, but this was the only way she was ever going to help Darien learn to control the monster inside of him.
“Alysanne.” His voice lacked the gravely edge of the deamhan and Aly let out a long breath. Her idea had worked—for now. His monster would return, and when he came back he would want more pain and sex, but for now. . .now, she could rest.
He pulled out the paddle and lay down on top of her, covering her in a blanket of warmth and muscle. He nuzzled his face in her hair and let out a ragged sigh.
“I’m so sorry.”
Alysanne closed her eyes and tried to get a grip on the sense of urgency inside her. Pressing her cheek into the cool, metal surface of the table, enjoying the closeness of their bodies. She smiled as the sounds of their breathing filled the room. She felt content in the moment. More importantly, she felt a closeness to Darien that had not been present before. The bond between them was strengthening because of their encounter. She could feel it.
After a time, Darien stood and moved away.
“What is happening to me?” His voice hadn’t changed. The low, gravelly tone filled the room and reminded her that he still didn’t have full control of his inner deamhan.
Her robe had fallen during their lovemaking and he smoothed her robe back up over her skin until it gathered in the middle of her back.
“It’s the stone, it’s changing you.”
“Impossible.”
She sighed. “You’re human and the stone holds Bathin’s power. No human can touch so much raw deamhan power and not be changed.”
“So you think it’s turning me into one of them?” His voice sounded frustrated and hurt.
“I don’t think—I know it. You’re showing all of the signs. I’ve seen it happen before.”
“You have?”
“A long time ago, when Bathin first came through the portal.” Alysanne thought back to when her father had touched Bathin’s skin. At first, it didn’t seem to affect him, but then, after a few days, he had begun to change, much like Darien was changing now. He had known what was happening, known what he was becoming.
Her father had chosen to commit suicide rather than have Bathin control his every move. Her mother died a few days later, as was customary of mates. One could not survive without the other. Alysanne had always wondered, if her father had fought the presence in his mind, if her mother had been more supportive and had not condemned him, then would both her parents be alive today? It was possible, but she’d never know. Her mother had never given him a chance.
Slap. “I asked a question.” This time Darien used the palm of his hand to strike her.
“A question?” She had become lost in her own head and hadn’t heard him speak.
Slap. “Did the person you see touch Bathin?”
She closed her eyes as once again pain rattled her system. “He wouldn’t talk about it, but we all assumed he did.”
“He?”
“My father.”
“Tell me.”
She did the best she could, recounting how Bathin had attacked them and captured her father, how her mother had been overcome with frustration and grief. She told him about his suicide and how her older sister came into rule. How many on the Iatros council didn’t trust her mate Cai and because of this and her mother’s legacy, they didn’t trust her, either.
“Bathin kissed your father.” Darien cleared his throat. “He kills a deamhan’s physical body and inhales his essence. He then blows this essence into a human through a kiss.” His voice was quieter, calmer, and Aly got a sense she was once again talking with the man.
“Is that what happened to you?”
“Yes,” he whispered as he walked around the table to face her. He flexed his fingers at his sides.
“And the rest of the team?”
He looked away. “I don’t know. We were separated.” He took in a long breath. “As soon as we crossed over into hell, they ambushed us. There was just so many of them.” He fisted his hands. “Bathin threw me in a cage barely large enough to hold my body.” He turned his back to me and studied the weapons hanging on the wall. “It was cramped and hot and smelled of rotting flesh.” He ran his fingers over a long, leather whip. “I should have listened to you.”
“You didn’t know.”
He pulled his hand away from the whip, as if stung. As he talked, he slowly walked toward the enchanted sword on the floor, the one with the deamhan stone. “I was forced to live in conditions not fit for an animal.” He picked up the sword and examined the stone. He looked as if he wanted to touch it, but something held him back. “It was so demoralizing, so soul-crushing, that many of the prisoners held there had died in their own filth.” He reached toward the stone, and Aly watched as he fingers trebled inches above the glowing red orb. “But there was one thing that kept me going. One thought that wouldn’t let me go.”
“What was that?”
He placed the sword back down on the ground and moved behind her. Aly gasped as he slid his fingers under her robe and brushed them over her skin. She guessed he didn’t want to answer her, at least not yet. It didn’t matter. There was another, more pressing question on her mind.
“What happened to Cai?”
He jerked his fingers away. “You knew him.”
“Yes.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Where is he?” If Cai did indeed touch the stone, then her sister needed to be warned.
“I did not give you permission to look over your shoulder.” His voice was lower and rougher now, and Aly knew that he was losing ground to his deamhan once more.
She yelped and faced front as he grabbed her hips and curled his fingers into her flesh. “Tell me, please.”
“He is none of your concern.”
“Please, I must know. He is bound to my sister!”
“I’m the only one asking the questions around here.” Darien’s deep voice echoed through the room as he slapped her ass once more with his palm. “It will be better for you if you remember that.”
Aly steeled her jaw and pressed her cheek into the table as a sensation of dread washed over her. Darien wasn’t listening to her. He only wanted pain and anger. Only dominance.
What had she gotten herself into?