Rogue: Book 4 (Hellfire series), page 11
She wished she could believe that was what Rogue was sent to do—to protect her—but the female’s words about the one who’d sent her didn’t allow Lyx that illusion either.
As the sweat cooled on her skin and her heart found a steadier rhythm, her mind cleared. Once the courtyard was steeped in the shades of dusk, she smiled at Rama, who’d stuck close. “I’m going to the roof.”
He answered her smile with the warmth of his own. “Feeling better?”
She nodded and tried not to stagger while she rose. If she raised his concern, he’d insist on accompanying her.
Ascending the stairs took more out of her than she cared for. Knowing she’d need to sleep tonight to recover from her day, she wished once more she had a normal demon’s recovery.
On the roof, she watched the sun sink behind the horizon, far beyond the confines of the city. She settled cross-legged in the middle and took a deep breath. “Rogue,” she called out.
There was that flutter and the rush of air, and then Rogue was kneeling next to her. “Ohraia.”
Lyx reached for her, her hand cupping the female’s beautiful face. The way Rogue leaned into her touch, her eyes drifting shut, settled Lyx’s mind.
She felt it—everything the female didn’t say, the meaning behind her words about protection, the emotion whenever Rogue called her lovely. The exquisite heat of her realization burst behind her sternum.
It touched her soul.
It should have been too early. She should be wary of the mystery and secrets surrounding the female.
It didn’t seem to matter.
“Come with me to Dera Rawal,” she said.
Rogue smiled at her. “As if that was ever in question, ohraia.”
Chapter 25
Rogue
I shouldn’t have been almost bursting with pride at the thought of Lyx daring to travel again, but I was. I knew what it cost her to have someone carrying her in flight.
I shouldn’t have been happy knowing his messengers would have trouble locating me at Dera Rawal. Maybe it’d buy me a few more days.
I shouldn’t have been this happy, but I was floating.
Maybe one day I’d be able to tell her without her running from me.
Maybe one day she’d love me enough to forgive me.
All I wanted was to see her fall apart for me again. I wanted her body under me, her lips against mine, her cries of pleasure filling my ears.
I wanted all of her all of the time.
But I couldn’t give her all of me.
It was only a matter of time before she found out.
It was only a matter of time before he was done with my stalling.
So little time.
And I planned to spend all of it giving her what I could. Hoping it would be enough.
Chapter 26
Lyx
“Lyx!” Erisi nearly tackled her to the ground in her excitement.
Lyx laughed. “I hoped you wouldn’t mind the unexpected visit. Hiro gave me a lift.”
Her heart was still racing, but she felt surprisingly steady on her feet after a few hours of flight.
“I should have sent you to Harappa sooner,” Erisi said, leaning back while she studied Lyx. “You’re practically alight.”
Pretending to be insulted, Lyx swatted at her friend. “I’ll be out of your hair in a heart—”
“Not happening.” Erisi hooked her arm in the crook of Lyx’s elbow. “You and I have lots to catch up on, and I have plenty of demons who can carry you back long after Hiro returns home.”
Suddenly flooded by images of Rogue carrying her back to the city, Lyx shivered. She did her best not to scan the sky and the walls surrounding the stronghold for a glimpse of the female. While Dera Rawal held hundreds of demons, it was far less crowded than Harappa. It would be much harder to remain unseen. Maybe she should have asked Rogue to stay away…even if the thought terrified her.
She chuckled. As if the female wouldn’t have come.
“I like hearing you laugh,” Erisi said, guiding her deeper into the stronghold. “Even if I have no idea what you’re grinning about.”
Lyx blushed. “Silly fantasies.”
Her friend turned to her, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. “I’m so glad you can be silly again and laugh and do things that scare you like flying here.”
Lyx teared up a little. She’d seen the worry in Erisi’s eyes, had heard the concern in Torag’s voice before she’d left for Harappa. All she wanted was to share her secret and happiness, to gush about Rogue.
Except her friend would go hunting the moment she found out. And not even Rogue would be able to evade the Wildfire Warrior.
They arrived at the youngs’ quarters. “I thought you’d want to say hi to your protégées. They’ve missed you.”
Lyx’s heart swelled. “I’ve missed them too.”
When Erisi opened the door, they found Torag teaching a group of young. As soon as they spotted Lyx, he lost their interest.
“Lyx!”
Shruti and the other young rushed her, and moments later, she was engulfed in hugs. She melted into their warmth and realized once again that her fear had faded. Their excited cries and loud stories only brought a smile to her face. Her heart raced from giddy excitement.
Instinctively, she turned to the open door, trying to spot Rogue. She wanted to share the happiness that realization brought her.
Erisi misinterpreted her movement. “Back to Torag, all of you! Lyx will be with us for a while, so you can all pester her later—one by one if you can.”
Before she could protest, Erisi ushered her out of the building. “I’m sorry. I thought it would be good to see them, but—”
Lyx shook her head. “You were right. It was. And it didn’t bother me. The noise, the sudden movements... Harappa is much worse, and I’ve grown used to it.” I’ve grown so used to being protected, I’m no longer scared.
She ached for Rogue’s presence. It was all she could think about. She wanted to figure out where the female was, if she was safe, and if they could see each other without being noticed.
Guilt crept in again. She wanted to tell her friend.
Instead, she leaned into Erisi’s side. “I’m well, Erisi. Really well.”
“I can tell.” Erisi’s smile grew. “So we’ll get to see you at the bonfire in a few hours then?”
Lyx bit her lip. She’d planned on finding Rogue.
Erisi nudged her gently. “I’m not taking no for an answer, just so you know.”
Smiling, Lyx nodded. “Fine. I’ll go and mentally prepare myself for mayhem in that case. I have a feeling I’ll need rest before I join.”
“I kept your place just as it was,” Erisi said. “It’ll give you some privacy in a familiar environment.”
Lyx wrapped around her friend in a heartfelt hug. “Thank you,” she whispered, “for everything.”
After they let go and she assured Erisi once more she’d be at the fire when dark fell, Lyx made her way to her small house on the west side of the stronghold. Her heart slowly picked up pace. Her nails dug into her palms until her hands hurt. Would Rogue appear? Or would she stay away for safety?
Closing the door behind her, Lyx let her eyes adjust to the semi-darkness. She rested against the wood, her heart pounding in her throat.
“Ohraia.”
Lyx’s body lit up at hearing the soft voice from the shadows. She nearly pounced on the female.
“Mhmm... I see you missed me,” Rogue said from inside Lyx’s full-body embrace, Lyx’s arm around her neck, and her face buried against it.
She held on tight until Rogue took over. Suddenly her back met the wall, and the taller female leaned into her, her arms braced on either side of her face. “Are you alright?”
Wordlessly, Lyx nodded. She drank in the beauty of the female in front of her—the warmth of her brown eyes, the delicate lines of her face, the fullness of her lips. When her eyes lingered a little too long on Rogue’s mouth, the female made a soft noise at the back of her throat, tipped up Lyx’s chin, and kissed her.
Lyx laced her arms around Rogue’s neck again and melted into the female as she touched the lightest of kisses to Lyx’s lips, returning again and again until the sweetness of it nearly overwhelmed Lyx. She parted her lips, and Rogue swept in, claiming her mouth, their kiss turning wild and a little desperate.
When they broke apart and Lyx regained her capacity to breathe, her thoughts returned too. “You shouldn’t be here. I’m not sure you’ll be safe.”
“I’m not staying away from you, ohraia.”
“You don’t understand. Erisi is...” Lyx hesitated. She trusted Rogue with her safety, but she couldn’t be sure about everyone else’s.
“She is the Wildfire Warrior. We—I know.”
Lyx noticed the slip up and the way Rogue tensed against her, but she knew asking about it wouldn’t help. “When she turns, I won’t be able to stop her.”
Rogue caressed her cheek, her thumb brushing over Lyx’s heated skin. “I promise I’ll take care of myself, ohraia. But I won’t leave you.”
“I’m safe here,” she tried again.
Rogue simply kissed her in response, and Lyx was happy for the support of the wall behind her when her knees turned weak.
Leaning her forehead to Lyx’s, Rogue whispered, “I should get back to guarding you from a distance so you can rest.” A smile graced the female’s beautiful face. “I heard you have wild plans for the night.”
Her heart still thundering against her ribs, Lyx felt brave. She slipped under the female’s arm and sank onto the bed. “Want to join me?”
Rogue’s eyes darkened. “There will be very little rest if I do, ohraia.”
Without a word, Lyx pulled her top over her head. The female didn’t move forward, but her entire body tensed.
Apparently, it would take more than just her top. Smiling, Lyx untied her pants and hooked her fingers in the waistband. She took her sweet time sliding them down her legs before looking up at Rogue. “Who needs rest when I can have you?”
Rogue was on her in an instant, kissing her, moving her gently up the bed as she did. The caress of the furs beneath her and the friction of Rogue’s fully dressed body on top of hers ignited the simmering lust. It blazed through her veins as she arched into the female, tangled her fingers into Rogue’s dark hair, and kissed her back. They fit together perfectly—their mouths, Rogue’s body between her thighs, her hands molding Lyx’s waist, holding her tight.
“Ohraia,” Rogue whispered against her skin as she kissed her way down her throat. Her hands slid up, cupping Lyx’s breasts and taking the last of her breath. The female teased relentlessly. The lightest caress of her thumbs brushed over Lyx’s nipples, followed by the heat of her mouth, the swipe of her tongue, the slightest hint of her teeth before her fingers rolled the hard tip just right, and Lyx cried out.
She slammed her palm over her mouth, terrified one of the Arav would burst in but not scared enough to stop Rogue’s slow journey down her body. The light kisses triggered goosebumps along her skin before Rogue’s tongue tracked a hot trail of bliss along her stomach.
Lyx spread her legs wider, chasing the pleasure of Rogue’s mouth when she dipped lower and kissed her core. Rogue explored her slick flesh, kissing, licking, swiping her tongue from the very base of her to the sensitive nub that made her cry out against her arm. The feeling of Rogue’s strong hands cupping her ass, her fingers pressing into the muscles in a way that made Lyx melt only added to the perfection of the moment.
Rogue’s tongue dipped inside her, and her hips bucked up. The female kept her right there, her hands holding her ass up so she could delve deeper and drive Lyx even more desperate.
“Rogue,” she whimpered, her arm falling to the bed as she drove herself against Rogue’s mouth.
The female looked up, and the sight of her beautiful lover between her thighs was nearly enough to push Lyx over the edge she was teetering on.
Rogue let her hips down to the bed, sliding one hand to Lyx’s stomach to keep her down. The other teased her wet core, her thumb brushing over her nub a little too softly.
“Please, Rogue,” she whispered, squirming desperately against the hold the female had on her.
One finger entered her slowly. She felt it sink in to the knuckle before Rogue slipped out. Keening, Lyx tried to move her hips and chase it, but Rogue didn’t let her. Thrusting two fingers inside Lyx, Rogue closed her mouth around her nub and flicked her tongue over it once.
Lyx shattered. Rogue was there to capture her shout in a hard kiss, her thigh pressing against Lyx’s core hard enough to prolong her climax until she was a shivering mess clinging to Rogue, whimpering against her mouth.
When she drifted in bliss, the world disappeared. Her eyelids were too heavy to fight the sleep.
“Rest now, ohraia,“ Rogue whispered against her lips.
Chapter 27
Lyx
That night, the laughter in the distance led Lyx past the keep and onto the training field where the bonfire was lit. Erisi spotted her immediately, her smile radiant. Within moments, a spot cleared right next to her.
When Lyx sank down to the sand, her thighs protested her ambitious move. She was grateful for the reminder Rogue had left her with. It eased the craving to rush back to the privacy of her quarters a little.
“Rested?” Erisi asked while handing her a cup.
Lyx eyed it with suspicion. The only things demons drank were brews so strong they overcame demonic healing long enough to get drunk. Unfortunately, her demonic healing sucked almost as much as the rest of her powers.
“I had my scouts stock up on human alcohol for you.”
Leaning into her friend’s side in a silent show of gratitude, Lyx took a sip. The drink burned its way down her throat, warming her as much from the inside as the fire did from the outside.
“Is Torag coming too? Or did the fledglings get to him?”
Erisi grinned. “They always do. He’s coming. Just checking in with the guards. There’s been some unusual activity near the stronghold he wanted to get a report on.”
Lyx’s heart squeezed. Rogue.
She took a big gulp of her drink, welcoming the punch it packed. Her lack of practice meant her head was already swimming. Maybe she should pace herself a little even if her healing powers would kick in faster than a human’s.
When Torag appeared, Lyx tried hard not to interrogate him before he settled behind Erisi.
Her friend beat her to the punch. “Everything alright?”
Torag pulled Erisi onto his lap, tipped up her chin, and kissed her. Cheeks burning, Lyx stared at her hands in her lap.
“Everything is fine. They thought they spotted angels again, but there is no trace of them now. Either they just passed through, or it was a false alarm.”
Angels would be a cause for alarm. At war with Lucifer, and by extension with all demonkind, their feathered enemies were not above using filthy tricks. They’d already tried attacking the Arav to deal a blow to Arren, Erisi’s young and Lucifer’s soulmate—and failed. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t try again.
Erisi nestled in Torag’s embrace. Now that she knew Rogue hadn’t been spotted, Lyx couldn’t help but feel longing pull at her. She no longer envied Torag for holding Erisi, but she wished she could linger with Rogue that way, without secrets between them.
Shaking her head at herself, she stopped that train of thought. It wasn’t as if Erisi and Torag didn’t fight hard to get to this place and get this kind of peace. Maybe she and Rogue could get there too.
“So what brought you back here?” Erisi asked.
Startled, Lyx looked up.
Erisi smiled at her. “My dear friend, I admire your courage a great deal, but I know you wouldn’t get yourself carried all the way back here if you didn’t have some kind of mission to fulfill.”
Lyx chuckled. “You got all the powers and all the smarts. It’s not fair.”
She barely evaded Erisi’s elbow to her side as she giggled, slamming her hand against her mouth when the sound escaped her.
Erisi’s grin widened. “It’s so good to see you laugh. About our powers of all things.”
Lyx stilled, thinking. “It is. It still...hurts. But it hurts less.”
Maybe she was coming to terms with the way she was. Her life was coming together. She had a demonic family who’d adopted her as one of their own. She’d found her friend alive, happy, and thriving. With Hiro and Rama and Torag and...Rogue, she had plenty more friends who wanted the best for her. Even freedom no longer scared her.
Only excitement and curiosity remained. There was a whole world of possibilities.
So what if she didn’t have her powers to explore it? She still had a near-eternal life to do it at her own pace.
“So what brought you here, Lyx?”
Leave it to Erisi not to give up. Lyx looked at her. “I had some questions for you. But I don’t want to bother you now. I know this is the one time a day when you get to wind down together.”
She caught Torag’s gentle gaze as he wrapped his arm around Erisi’s torso and pulled her in closer. “I just need the rest before she beats me into the ground during our nightly sparring. Again.”
The ice blue of Erisi’s eyes softened as she looked up at Torag. “If you didn’t lose your focus every time...”
He caressed the underside of her chin, his smile so full of love it made Lyx’s chest hurt. “You keep distracting me.”
“Give it a few more centuries. I’m sure I’ll lose that power,” Erisi said.
“I know you won’t, Wildfire,” he whispered against her lips.
Lyx averted her eyes and took another long sip of her drink.
Erisi nudged her foot with her own. “You’re not bothering me, Lyx. I love talking to you. Besides, this is probably the best time we’ll have to talk uninterrupted. I’ll always make time for you, but this stronghold...” Erisi waved her hand around. “This family, it takes a lot of managing even between the two of us.” She leaned back against Torag, who kissed the top of her head.
