Page 40 of Love Summoned

“I was a blacksmith.” He smiles, keeping his eyes down. “A good one too. People from other towns would come to me for their repair work.”

“So you were a good guy.” I chuckle as I nudge his shoulder.

“Once upon a time.” Nix’s thumb brushes over my fingers where they’re locked around his.

“How’d you die? Can I ask that?”

He squeezes my hand then presses a kiss to the tip of my nose. “I got sick. Infection spread throughout the town. I was twenty-eight. Actually, this is my hundredth year as a demon.”

My eyebrows jump. There goes my theory about him being a newer demon.

“I look good for my age, right?” Nix winks.

“Oh, yeah,” I make a show of dragging my gaze over his tall, well-built frame, his square jawline and nose ring, plus those full lips I can’t quite get enough of kissing. He really does look good.

“Do witches live longer?”

“No.” I shake my head. “Some witches can influence time, and some have extreme healing abilities that allow us to cheat death. I guess we’re more like cats with nine lives. But nothing like you. You’re super old.” I hold back a laugh as Nix lifts me from the ground, spinning us until my back is pressed against the side of a building.

“Didn’t seem to have a problem with how old I am when I had my cock buried in your wet pussy.”

My lips roll together, fighting a grin as my stomach does somersaults. “I guess an older guy isn’t so bad. He comes with a lot of experience.”

He nods, smiling as his eyes are fixed on my mouth. “That’s what I thought.”

His kiss has me melting on the spot, especially as he cups my cheek in his hands. It’s soft, slow, and romantic. He’s nothing like the demons we’ve ever come across. He’s different. I know it.

“Can you stay?” I whisper, not bothering to hide the longing in my plea.

“I shouldn’t,” he says, and my heart sinks. “But if you ask me again, I’m almost certain I’ll be too weak to resist.”

I fist his hoodie, pulling him closer. “Will you please stay with me tonight?” I lick the seam of his mouth, and he groans.

“You win. I’ll stay.” Nix pushes his body into mine, and he kisses me again. His hands gently wrap around my wrists where I’m still holding onto him. His thumbs caress my skin, back and forth. “Should I shift in or walk through the front doors with you?”

My head falls back onto the brick behind me as I blow out a breath. “I should probably talk to my sister first.”

“Are you gonna tell her about…”

“About what?” I tease.

Nix’s dark hair falls in his face as he raises an eyebrow. Sliding my arms up his chest, I cross my hands behind his neck.

“Oh, you mean how you fucked me in the middle of a park?”

“No.” His hands rub up and down my arms before he leans in to press a kiss on my neck, just below my ear. “How beautiful you looked under the moonlight when I worshiped your body and made you sing with pleasure.” Another kiss. “How light itself fractured from our connection like the reckoning, and now when we touch, it’s freedom instead of undecided astral shackles.”

“Just which demon created you? Lilith? Sallos?”

He laughs, tossing an arm over my shoulder as we start walking again. “My warden is the Lord of War and Chaos. Love and romance are the antithesis of his rule.” His fingers flex against my arm. War and chaos feel so at odds with the version of Nix I know. Is that truly the kind of demon he is? Is there his own kind of war happening inside of him; a side that obeys the rules, serving the one who rules him, versus one who walks beside a witch as an equal; as a soldier of protection.

“I’ll meet you upstairs in a bit,” I say, glancing over to where light and chatter spill from the open doors of the inn.

“I’ll be waiting.” Nix tucks a piece of hair behind my ear, then evaporates into smoke. Wisps of cinnamon embers follow me through the air until I reach the door.

“Sera,” Celeste calls my name just as my foot hits the first stair. Backtracking, I find her and Sloane seated at a table in Akonyte Kitchen, closest to the bar, where Rowan pours drinks.

“Hey. What are you guys doing down here?” I don’t sit down. Instead, my hands grip the back of one of the vacant chairs opposite them.