Page 58 of Bedeviled

He pauses, pulling away from the kiss as his glowing eyes fall to my neckline. There nestled against my skin is the gold and carnelian necklace he gave me. The contraceptive necklace is also there, but I don’t think he gives a flying fuck about that one.

His strange eyes rise to my ears, and he brushes away my hair to peer at the matching earrings.

“You wore them.”

“And my daggers.” I had left Henbane wearing all of it, knowing he’d discover them at some point in the evening. I hadn’t, however, anticipated it’d be quite like this. “I like them.”

He’s still staring at me with those illuminated eyes, and I cannot tell what he’s thinking, not the way I usually can. I reach down our bond, peering into his thoughts as best I can.

Selene, Selene, Selene. Safe. Mine. My wife. Selene.

My attention drags away from the connection and moves to his chest—his bare chest, I realize. While he’d been undressing me, he must’ve also been undressing himself.

Heat rises to my cheeks, especially when his own gaze roves over my exposed flesh before returning to my face.

Normally, I’d be overeager at this point. However, Memnon’s deadly magic, which drives his most destructive powers, is still riding him.

I’m a little uneasy⁠—

You have nothing to fear from me, soul mate. Ever. But even his voice is unnerving, bringing goose bumps to my skin.

With a guiding hand, he gently pulls my face back to his and resumes the kiss. This time it’s unbearably soft. Coaxing. Reassuring. He might be a threat to the multitudes, but for me he can be gentle.

I return the kiss, but my heart is now pattering away, desire warring with my skittishness.

He carries me through a maze of rooms and corridors. I can only imagine he’s taking me to the house’s main bedroom.

I break off the kiss, pressing my forehead to his.

“Wait,” I breathe.

He pauses, those glowing eyes searing me. His grip on my body tightens. I know what he wants. I can feel it pressing against me. And, honestly, it’s winding me tighter and tighter. But still. I’m unnerved.

Despite his state, Memnon remains still, letting me have my moment.

I lick my lips. “I want a shower.”

He brushes his nose against mine and briefly takes my lips again. I don’t know what his own murky thoughts are, but he does resume walking, crossing the expanse of what does, in fact, appear to be a large bedroom and entering a spacious bathroom.

I catch a glimpse of milky pale marble and copper fixtures.

Memnon’s magic billows out of him, and I hear a shower faucet turn on. He carries me over to a glass-encased shower, his magic opening the door. He steps in, and I yelp as cold water hits me.

Immediately, Memnon pivots, letting his own back take the brunt of the chilly spray.

I begin to laugh at the absurdity of this whole situation. Being carried like a broken bird to the shower only to have terrifying Memnon, who is not wholly himself, defending me against unheated water.

The tension of the moment breaks like a dam, and my sorcerer, with those strange, uncanny eyes, drinks in my laughter. Then, all at once, his mouth crashes against mine. This kiss is different from the others. Fierce, fervent, devouring. Each punishing stroke of his lips demand that mine part, until they do.

I moan as his tongue meets mine, and I feel his cock jump at the sound. Everything is sensitive, so sensitive.

The water slipping down the drain beneath us is tinted a murky red, and most—if not all—of the blood and grit is mine. More of Memnon’s magic presses against me. I can sense it flowing through my veins, and if I were unwell, I’m sure it would be healing me at this very moment.

You are the most precious thing to me, Selene. The only thing that matters. Need to feel you.

I don’t know what possesses me in this moment—maybe it’s his disarming gentleness or the fact that I feel safe with him even now; maybe it’s my own inner deviance—but I pry myself from his arms, backing up until I bump against the far wall of the shower. Then I reach out and grab Memnon’s hand, dragging him to me, until his chest is pressed flush against mine.

Even overtaken by his own magic as he is, he’s still Memnon. My Memnon.