Rogue: Book 4 (Hellfire series), page 19
If this was how she wanted me to serve her, I would. I was dying for her taste, to draw out her pleasure again with my mouth and tongue and fingers, but there was a pleasure in being told to do something other than what I wanted.
“May...” My voice broke, so I tried again. “May I use my hands?”
There was a flash of something on her face—a blush and shy discomfort that she hadn’t shown since I’d told her my desires. I fell to my knees. “I’m sorry, ohraia. If this is making you uncomfortable, we don’t—”
“Stop.” Her voice brooked no argument, but there was no anger in it. “I didn’t tell you to kneel.”
Heart pounding, I scrambled back to my feet, wringing my hands behind my back while I tried to find the words. “I’m s—”
“No more apologies, my angel,” she said. “I’m doing this because I want to. And I might make mistakes, like forgetting to alter my orders when you need your hands, but you won’t disobey me again unless you need me to stop. Do you need to stop, Rogue?”
Heavens, the tone of her voice made me quiver inside. If I was still allowed to touch myself after this, I’d teeter on the edge within moments. “No, ohraia.”
Her usually sweet smile was positively wild now. She was perfect, so damn perfect it made me want to fall to my knees again. “Show me how you make yourself almost come. You can use your hands, but you’ll stay upright.”
My mind turned blissfully fuzzy. My movements slowed, every one meant to please her. I brushed my palms over my aching nipples before stirring the pain with a hard pinch. My fingertips slid down my skin along my sides, following the dip of muscle leading to the junction of my thighs. I tortured myself with the lightest of touches along my flesh and the dark hairs.
Feeling her eyes on me while I did heightened the sensation. I was already panting, and I hadn’t done anything yet.
I sank deeper into her command, only focused on pleasing her. I circled the little nub at the top of my thighs before dipping my finger into the wet heat between them.
My head fell back. I couldn’t hold in a groan. Thank heaven she hadn’t ordered me to stay quiet because I was pretty sure I couldn’t.
I didn’t go easy, not when it was for her. I drove three fingers in, my entire body shaking with the sensation.
Staying upright while I fucked myself like this was near impossible. And I loved having to do it anyway. It meant I needed to try hard just for her. I groaned at every hard thrust, careful not to brush against the little nub.
Bliss loomed. I brought myself closer and closer, knowing it would be agony to stop. Knowing it would be perfection because it pleased her.
Another thrust and I pulled my hand away, doubling over, dangerously close to falling over the edge into full-on bliss.
I straightened as soon as I could, finding her beautiful eyes on me. She was leaning back, her hands caressing all along her body, her legs parted, and her core glistening.
More so than for a climax, I ached to be the one touching her. I needed to taste her more than I needed my next breath.
Then she smiled and said, “Again,” and I nearly fell to my knees.
Chapter 45
Lyx
Her hands buried in Rogue’s hair, Lyx cried out. The female hummed against her swollen flesh, not stopping her breathtaking licks and sucks and nips.
Every time she thought she’d had enough, the sight of her angel between her legs drove Lyx hungry again.
The shocks shivering through her core were almost painful, but she wanted more. And while she took her pleasure, floating in bliss, her angel was denied. The contrast once again stoked Lyx’s desire, heat blasting along her spine.
She fell back against the furs, panting. “Enough.”
Guiding the angel up her body, she kissed Rogue the moment she got close. She felt boneless and exhausted, and still her body moved against the female’s as they devoured each other.
Suddenly, Rogue’s hands tightened on her waist, stopping her from rolling her hips. Lyx broke the kiss, looking at Rogue questioningly.
“Ohraia. I’m...“ The angel flushed. “One more move, and I’ll come.”
If not for her earlier promise, she would’ve finished what she’d started. Instead, she nestled in Rogue’s arms and kissed her throat. “Mmmm...” Her eyelids felt heavy. Her body buzzed with sensations, little aches in spots she’d never even felt before she’d met her angel.
Even as she half-drifted in the angel’s arms, reality seeped back in. She wondered how much longer they’d have before Lucifer ordered Rogue to go. She tightened her grip on her angel’s waist.
“Ohraia...“ This time, the endearment was laced with sadness. Lyx much preferred the breathless variant. She nestled closer, feeling the vibrations in Rogue’s chest as the female said, “I’ll be alright.”
“Don’t make me promises you can’t keep,” Lyx whispered.
Rogue held her close. “I’ll do anything I can to get back to you in one piece.”
Her heart heavy, Lyx grumbled against Rogue’s skin, “You better. I believe I have something you want.”
“You have many things I want, ohraia,“ Rogue said, amused.
Smiling, Lyx rolled her hips against Rogue. The little gasp from the angel told her the female understood exactly what it was she was promising upon her return.
The urge to take Rogue and run so the angel would be safe from Lucifer and Raphael was so much worse when Lyx woke in the morning, tangled with her angel. The female’s eyes were soft with love and longing. Lyx couldn’t help herself. She kissed Rogue, melting into the sweetness of it.
She clung close when their kiss turned desperate, tainted by what was to come. “I…he’ll hurt you,” she whispered against Rogue’s cheek. “I’m afraid he won’t stop until you…” She pressed closer, unable to speak the words.
Rogue didn’t meet her eyes. She never did when they talked about what Raphael would do to her. Lyx’s heart clenched.
“He will give me my orders and the…incentives to carry them out,” Rogue said before kissing the corner of her mouth, lingering close. “And he will send another Unknown with me, but he will send me. He’s testing my loyalty.”
Loyalty Rogue no longer had to give…
Fear pulled at Lyx, and the darkness below gaped. Lyx knew she’d fall in head first if she wasn’t careful. “Don’t go.”
Rogue bent her head, her dark eyes once again hidden from Lyx’s view. “I need to go, ohraia. If we know what he plans to do, we have a fighting chance. If we don’t… The Unknown are relentless. You’ll never be safe. And I refuse to let him have that. I refuse to let him push you back into fear when you only just found a life of your own.”
Not without you.
Lyx swallowed the words. Instead, she buried her face against Rogue’s throat and tried to breathe. She held on tight until a hard knock on the door had her tense in Rogue’s arms.
Lucifer’s guards didn’t barge in but spoke from the other side of the door. “Time to go. Lucifer waits in the throne room.”
There was no more time to say the million things Lyx still wanted to say. She couldn’t even find the words to start. They got dressed in silence. When they walked out, Lyx took Rogue’s hand—hoping it said it all.
They got separated in the throne room when Rogue was ushered forward and forced to her knees in front of the steps to the thrones where Lucifer sat with Arren by his side. Lyx stayed back, standing between Erisi and Hiro.
Lucifer’s face twisted with disdain when he looked at Rogue as if she was a cockroach he’d rather crush.
“You convince Raphael to keep you alive,” Lucifer said, “and find out what he plans to do next. And you do so without betraying anything of value you may have learned from Lyx, the Arav, or during your stay in my palace.”
It was near impossible. Rogue’s trade was knowledge. If she couldn’t share any of it, Raphael would…
Lyx swallowed hard. Rogue would find a way—she was resourceful and determined, and she knew the archangel.
“Anything about pending attacks or information the Oracle passed on would be valuable. If you get back here, you report to me directly. If for some reason you can’t get away from Raphael’s base, you leave symbols behind for my scouts—outside if you can. A spiral if he’s not moving yet, an arrow if he plans to attack Roraima, a square if he focuses on Dera Rawal first.”
Rogue gave a curt nod. “Understood.”
If she can’t get away from Raphael’s base…
“I won’t come for you. Save yourself if you want to live.” Lucifer’s final words landed like a fatal blow. Lyx staggered. Erisi’s arm closed around her waist, her strength the only thing keeping Lyx upright.
Rogue didn’t flinch. She stared up at the fallen angel. “I will keep my end of this deal. You will keep yours. Keep Lyx and the Arav safe.”
Lucifer scoffed. “I don’t take orders from you, Unknown.”
“We will protect them. I promise,” Arren said.
When Lucifer rose and stalked through the door behind the throne, Arren came down the stairs to join them. He offered his hand to Rogue. When she accepted his gesture and stood, the tiniest bit of hope lit in Lyx’s soul.
Maybe they could all exist together.
Maybe Rogue was right and her mission to Raphael’s base was the first brick to build at least some trust.
But it wasn’t worth her angel’s life.
When Rogue got within touching distance, Lyx wrapped her arms around her, burying her face against Rogue’s shoulder. “Don’t go.”
“Ohraia…“ The finality in her voice broke Lyx’s heart. “Keep him to his deal. He needs to keep you safe. Forever, if that’s what it takes.”
It sounded too much like a final farewell. “Don’t...” Lyx closed her eyes, swallowing another plea that would only sadden her angel. “Fight to get back to me,” she finally said. “Get back to me.” Please.
Rogue kissed her, a wordless promise, and Lyx tried not to cling too hard when it was over.
Hiro cleared his throat. “I’ll fly with you, angel. I need to be in Dera Rawal, and Raphael’s base is on the way.”
Alarmed, Lyx twisted around in Rogue’s arms.
“I’m staying until Rogue returns,” Erisi told her.
Her throat tight, Lyx thought about all the reasons why her friend should return. Her demons needed her even more than they needed Hiro. The young in Dera Rawal needed her power to keep them safe from Raphael.
But not one word passed her lips. She couldn’t face Rogue leaving alone. “Thank you,” she whispered. For protecting her once more. And for making a promise that implied Rogue would return.
Rogue softly kissed her forehead, and Lyx knew it was time.
Taking a step back was hard. Keeping her eyes on the angel as she turned into the tempestuous grays and blues of her angelic form and walked away with Hiro by her side was even harder.
Lyx shook. Her trembling legs barely kept her upright, and her vision blurred.
“It’s hard,” Arren murmured. “It’s hard seeing your soulmate walk into danger and not being able to follow.”
Lyx stared at the male. “Soulmate?”
Arren didn’t say anything. He just put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed softly. Erisi’s eyes were filled with compassion. She didn’t deny Arren’s claim.
Lyx tried to breathe through the tightness as her soul lay shredded in her chest.
Soulmate.
She ran.
She ran after Rogue, through the long hallway that led to the courtyard. She scrambled out of the bronze doors and down the steps, searching the skies until she saw them—tempestuous blue and blood-red wings against the gray clouds.
She kept looking long after Rogue and Hiro disappeared from view. When she finally paid attention to her surroundings, Arren stood near. His ice-blue eyes were soft when he opened his arms. Lyx stepped into his embrace.
“I know you feel powerless right now,” Arren said. “I’ve been there, watching Lucifer take off without me. Just know you’re not alone. Erisi is here. And you couldn’t chase me off even if you tried.”
Through the tears, she smiled. “You just want to be with your soulmate, and I happen to be close to him.”
“Hey, I’m not attached to him by the hip,” he protested with laughter in his voice. “Just by the soul.”
She stayed in his embrace for too long. Her mind raced with things she could do to help her angel. “I need to do something,” Lyx whispered. “I can’t just...”
She pulled away from Arren, needing space, needing air. Her lungs strained.
Powerless. She was powerless in every sense of the word. She had no powers to help Rogue.
She was trapped again. There were no bars surrounding her this time, but it felt almost as horrible.
Arren pulled her from her spiraling thoughts. “Punch me. Spar with me. You need an outlet before you drive yourself insane.”
Desperate to keep herself from falling deeper, she twisted around, balling her fists tighter. Erisi had first taught her how to throw a punch. Then Rogue had taught her more, insisting she needed to know how to defend herself from humans.
Rogue…
She lashed out. Arren didn’t even try to block her punch, taking it without so much as a flinch. Rage flared within her. She pummeled his chest with both her fists before planting her knee in the flesh of his thigh. His little oomph satisfied her.
Panting, filled with horror, she scrambled back. She was hurting a friend to feel better. For hell’s sake, what’s wrong with me?
“Come on. We’re just getting started,” Arren said.
His words eased some of the disgust at herself. This was a trained warrior who sparred every day. He was used to someone coming at him. Actual warriors. She straightened. “Only if you actually fight back.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I can’t. You’re not...” He hesitated.
“Not healing fast enough,” she muttered. “You can say it out loud. I’m well aware. At least dodge and block, in that case.”
Arren smiled a little. “Deal.”
Lyx circled him, trying to figure out how she could actually land a punch. The male was an elite warrior, trained by Lucifer himself. She’d only practiced for a few weeks.
Letting go of any attempt to be strategic with a trained warrior, she just flew at him. She punched and kicked. He evaded and danced around her.
Her heart raced. The blood in her veins buzzed. She tried tackling him, slamming her head forward when her body came in contact with his. She missed his nose, but the knock to his chin had him stepping back.
A cheer from the sideline made her realize Erisi was watching them.
She wasn’t alone. When Arren grinned at her, warmth filled her chest.
She wasn’t alone, and she wasn’t powerless. She had friends like them, who’d let themselves get punched or dragged around to all kinds of places if it meant she would feel better.
She had a voice and beings who listened to what she said, who tried to understand what she didn’t say, and who took care of her.
Dropping her fists to her sides, she stared at the palace. She wasn’t powerless. She had the freedom to act.
The moment she stalked toward the bronze doors, Arren called out her name.
She didn’t stop.
Erisi fell into step with her. “What are you doing, Lyx?”
Lyx didn’t answer her. She had a feeling she’d lost her courage if she tried to explain the stupidity she was about to undertake.
It was a miracle the guards let them through, though she suspected the footsteps she heard behind her belonged to Arren. His presence was likely the only reason why they could barge in on Lucifer.
He wasn’t in the throne room.
“Lyx,” Erisi tried. “This isn’t going to end well.”
The fact that her friend didn’t try to stop her despite her words gave Lyx courage. She flew up the stairs to the throne and through the door behind.
She nearly slammed into Lucifer who was about to enter the throne room.
“Out,” he barked. “Get the fuck out.”
Lyx poked her finger into the male’s chest. “No. You made a deal, and I will hold you to it.”
Lucifer glared down at her. “She’s still alive. You’re still safe.”
“And you better keep me that way. I’m going after her.”
Lucifer’s green eyes flashed with anger. “Like hell you are. I’ll throw you in my dungeons if that’s what it takes to protect you from yourself.”
Lyx’s head spun. Her ears rang.
Erisi stepped in front of her, wildfire burning on her palm. “Don’t you ever, ever threaten her with that again, you asshole.”
Lyx gulped in lungfuls of air, trying to focus.
At least Lucifer had the decency to look apologetic. “I…forgot. I promise I won’t ever hold you captive. Even I can acknowledge that would harm you, and I made this deal with the intention of keeping it.”
Lyx breathed through the nausea. “Good. I’m going after her. Deal with that how you will.”
She turned and walked out, unseeing and off-balance. The moment she set foot outside the throne room, she stumbled.
The buzz of her sparring with Arren had worn off, leaving her shaking in the aftermath of her showdown. What was I thinking? If not for Erisi, he would have locked me—
A fresh wave of nausea crashed over her. Only the thought of Rogue entering the lion’s den all by herself just to prove to some arrogant bastard like Lucifer that she was trustworthy had her straightening.
Even if she couldn’t convince Arren or Erisi or the first random demon she found in camp to carry her across the sea to Raphael’s mountain, she would get to Rogue.
I’m coming for you, my angel.
Chapter 46
Rogue
Raphael’s mountain looked pitiful compared to Lucifer’s home base. I’d spent enough time mapping out Mount Roraima before Michael’s battle with Lucifer to appreciate the difference. Knowing Raphael had moved here only after Lucifer chose Mount Roraima made it very hard not to compare them.
