Chapter 7 : Wake Up

"Leave me alone," I whispered, pulling my face away from his inviting hands. I must look so pathetic. I didn't want anyone to see me like this. But the tears didn't subside.

And neither did he.

Orion tipped his head to the side, kneeling on the floor beside me. His mouth was set into a slight frown, but it wasn't directed at me. My eyes helplessly darted past him to the wall where I heard Nova's bed frame slam repeatedly against the wall earlier.

He turned to where I was looking, then slowly back to me again. "Does that hurt you?"

"What the fuck do you think?" I snapped before I could stop myself. My fingers touched my lips in shock. "I-I'm…sorry. I—"

He lifted his finger to his lips, the side of his mouth ticking upwards into a salacious dimpled smirk. My belly coiled. "Don't apologize, Adira. I like it when you spit fire. Perhaps there's something under all that self-pity." He glanced back at the wall. "If it makes you feel any better, it's not love."

"How would you know that?"

Orion chuckled. "I know Lust, pet."

I couldn't help it when my eyes rolled, annoyed by his non-answer. "What do you want?" I asked sharply, sitting up.

He barked a laugh. "You should know that by now."

For once, I let the anger inside me bubble. Rise to the surface. "Stop playing games with me. What do you want? Really want?"

His bright honeyed irises narrowed. "I want to feed."

I threw my legs over the side of the bed. "I don't believe you." Staring into his eyes, his own flared into a challenge. It should have scared me, like everything about him should have, but all it did was tighten my skin and formed a hungry ache inside of me only he could truly sate.

His upper lip curled into a snarl. "Then don't believe me. I don't care how you feel."

I leaned in until I was just a few inches from his face when I whispered, "Liar."

He visibly seethed, but didn't make any move to leave. "What do you want, Adira?"

A lump formed in my throat as I tore my gaze from Orion's. Folding first, but I never stood a chance to begin with. "Stop playing with me. All Deacon did was play games, assert superiority over me because he knew I wouldn't do anything about it. I hated it then and I hate it now."

"Don't compare me to that sack of flesh," he muttered so darkly it might as well have been a growl.

Pain fell over me. "I want to see you. Not in my dreams. And if you can't stomach seeing me in person, then just fucking say it. I've heard it all already."

He was quiet for a long moment and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. "Wake up, Adira."

***

My body jolted upwards, the loud music still blasting through my headphones. I could feel the makeup crusting around my eyes. Greasy imprints of concealer moistened the page of the book I was reading.

With the back of my hand, I smeared more of my makeup, wetting my hands with tears. I pulled my headphones off. I felt disoriented, thirsty, bogged down by all the things my fragile body needed.

I sighed, turning off my music.

"Adira," a voice said from behind me.

Gasping, I spun around in my swivel chair to see a familiar frame sitting on my bed. My lamp illuminated my room and I could see Orion sitting there, leaned back like a content feline. His shirt was parted open, revealing his toned torso. Long legs stretched out in front of him, slacks clinging to strong legs.

"Does this please you?" he asked, the grin on his face less insincere than usual.

"How do I know you're really here? Not just an illusion?"

He beckoned me toward him with one finger, "You'll know when you touch me." When I don't move immediately, he frowns. "Is this not what you wanted?"

I crossed my arms. "I want more."

"More?" My answer seemed to perplex him when he brought his hand up to his clean-shaven jaw, looking much like how artists carved angels. But I knew Orion wasn't an angel.

"What are you…?" I asked.

He straightened up. "Oh. I see. You have questions. But why should I answer any of them? I could just take what I want and leave." There was nothing nice in his tone.

"Not if I don't let you."

With a hum, he tapped his chin again. A long moment passed before he finally said, "You're a smart girl. Put together the pieces."

"I know what you're not," I answered. "You're not a man or an angel."

A dark chuckle. "No. What's left, pet?"

"Demons…Gods…?" I trailed off. "But if you're a demon, why don't you just…?"

A frown pulled his mouth downwards again. His plush mouth. "Force you?" He finished for me. I didn't answer, but that was enough. "I have no interest in forcing consent. Even my brothers abide by it."

"Your victims consent to die?" I asked, gently touching my mouth to keep from gaping. I didn't understand how someone could agree to that.

"Didn't you?" he countered. "That first night, Adira, you came to me because you wanted to die. I wouldn't have lost any sleep over it."

His answer should have sparked an argument. Horrified gasps. Denial. But he was right. We both knew he was. "But I didn't die."

He tilted his head to the side, piercing through me with his eyes. "Come here." He curled his finger toward me again, and this time I couldn't fight the pull inside. The thirst I felt for him gnawed inside me.

"One more…" I whispered, slowly standing up. "What's your name?"

His eyes traveled up and down my body, eliciting delightful shivers. My fingers found the tail of my shirt and I pulled it over my head. "I go by many names. Some call me Incubus. Some call me the Devil. King of Demons. Speculative titles. My real name…you will never know."

King of Demons. That sounded familiar. I dropped my shirt onto the floor next to me, my lips parting to ask something else.

"My turn for questions, Adira," he ordered, eyes lingering on the waistband of my jeans, telling me wordlessly to take them off.

Fumbling with the button, I slowly pushed them down my legs. "What could you possibly want to know?"

I could feel the heat of his eyes sending shudders down my body. "What happened to you?" The question was nonchalant, but that didn't stop the phantom sensations of glass from cutting into my skin.

My arms crossed over my bra, hiding the thick scars on my ribs. I suddenly felt so bare. The mismatched, discolored skin made me feel so ugly. I turned away, unable to look at him anymore without the shame of how disproportionately hideous I felt in front of such a beautiful man.

"Don't hide from me, pet," he snarled and I could feel the bite of his tone like a nip under my ear. My shoulders shook, slowly turning around to look at him.

"I was in a car accident," I whispered. "Instead of dying, I'm stuck with the reminder of what happened all over my body."

"Come here," he demanded, not playfully like he said it earlier. I took a few steps toward him, close enough so he gripped my hips and pulled me forward onto his lap.

A gasp left my lips, pleasure climbing my body at the simplest touch. So much more potent than when he appeared in my dreams. I shuddered violently as his fingers traced the imperfections.

"Scars are reminders of war. Evasions of the Reaper. They should be worn as a badge of honor," he stated boldly, his hand snapping around my throat in a reminder he wasn't saying it to be nice.

Nothing he ever did was out of kindness.

"Then why don't you have any?" I rasped, slowly melting into his hold. Finding comfort in his aggression. Never pretending he was anything else. His hand moved to my chin, holding my face harshly in a strong grip.

I knew right then he had enough power to snap my neck to the side, and end this game whenever he wanted to. For a moment, he seemed to consider it. How easy it would be to kill me.

I was completely at his mercy. I wouldn't have fought. And I wondered if he already knew that.

His thumb swiped across my lips, smearing the remaining scarlet lipstick from my shift at Maxine's.

My lips parted as his thumb dipped into my mouth, sweeping seductively across my tongue. I gave it a gentle pull with my lips, leaving a red ring around the digit when he slid his hand down to my throat again.

He dragged me in closer to him until my upper body pressed against his. My breaths were shallow as his lips brushed against my ear. "This isn't what I really look like, pet."

I whimpered when he took my earlobe between his teeth. "Then show me."

"No."

His grip loosened enough on my throat I could pull back, his hand falling to his side. I could feel his breath on my lips in a way I never could in my dreams. He was here, in front of me…underneath me. A shock of power fired through my body.

We stared at one another…not moving. In a standoff. Like he was asking me what I was going to do, but equally confused as to why I haven't used him yet for an orgasm. Fed him. Like he was trying to decipher why we didn't just get it over with.

He could have flipped us over. Pinned me down. Had me a hundred different ways. I would have let him. I would have moaned and thrashed and let him have his fill until I was exhausted and satisfied.

But I wanted to look at him. Ponder what he looked like under the mask he wore. I couldn't imagine craving him any less. He narrowed his eyes, the silence getting under his skin.

I could tell.

Silence made him uncomfortable.

I slid my hands up his chest, near moaning at the feel of the smooth muscles there. He tilted his head back, reveling in how my hands felt. Where were his scars? Would he melt when I touched them like I did?

He's not human, I reminded myself. I had no frame of reference to how he would feel. But I wanted to find out. Did he have a heart that beat? Would he let me explore him?

No…he wouldn't.

I wanted to know what he tasted like. Leaning forward, I dragged my tongue along the length of his throat. My pulse jumped when he stiffened, a pained groan slipping past his lips.

"Now who's playing, Adira?"

His hands found my ass, cupping it in his hands before dragging me back and forth against his clothed cock. I threw my head back as my body clenched. Pleasure hazed over my vision, but I wasn't done tasting him.

"Still you," I replied, cupping the back of his neck and pulling him into a heady kiss.

Something that sounded like a whine broke from his chest as he ground against my pulsing core even harder. I quivered, parting my lips so he could tangle his tongue with mine.

Fuck, this kiss felt nothing like the first one. It wasn't angry against the carpet. Desperate and hungry.

It was explorative.

He let me move my lips against his, throwing both my arms around his neck. Ravishing his mouth as if it would be the last time I ever got to taste him. Our hips ground together, but that didn't stop him from sliding one of his hands to the front of my panties.

I yelped in surprise, eyes rolling to the back of my head as he teased the aching bud crying out for his attention. My hunger flared as he breathed into me, devouring my pleasure for himself.

"Yes…give it to me," he murmured, voice deep and predatory. Barely recognizable. "That's it."

I moaned into his mouth, my core screwing up tighter and tighter. He knew exactly how to touch me, applying enough pressure so I dangled between pleasure and pain. Orion growled against my lips, drawing back. His pink lips were smeared with red, spurring me on even more.

His eyes flared and I wasn't sure if he was angry or horny.

But I felt like that would probably be a constant between us.

"Oh!" I squealed as he flipped us over. He nudged my legs apart with his knees, two fingers slipping past my panties and into my pulsing sex. I arched my back against the bed, shuddering violently as he plundered my body.

Through the haze, I reached down, palming his hard cock over his pants. "Fuck!" he spat out suddenly, not losing the rhythm of his fingers.

His swearing encouraged me as I slid my hand up and down, stopping briefly to pay attention to where I felt his tip flare out. I nearly moaned at how he felt, feverishly hot through his clothes.

He ground his teeth together, staring down at me in a way that felt very inhuman.

My body quivered and I clenched hard around his fingers and he sped up, angling against the sensitive ridge just inside.

His free hand slapped over my mouth when I screamed, convulsing violently through my orgasm. His eyelids fluttered when he drank deeply, suspending me in mindbending euphoria until he had his fill.

When I fell slack against the bed, he withdrew his hands, bringing his fingers to his mouth. I watched his tongue curl around the digits, his eyes never leaving mine. My belly coiled at the sight.

"Do you want to taste yourself, pet?" he asked, sliding his still wet fingers along my feverish skin. He hovered over me and I shook my head. He chuckled softly, licking his fingers again.

My chest was rising and falling rapidly, eyes darting to the obvious erection bulging against his pants. "I want to taste you."

His body stiffened, clearly not liking my answer. He narrowed his eyes and got off my bed, wiping my lipstick off his mouth with the back of his hand. "Get some sleep, Adira."

The command settled over me like a heavy blanket. I wanted to keep looking at him. Devour him with my eyes until he would feel my gaze long after he left. Leave my mark on him. But as the blanket got heavier, I couldn't fight my eyelids.