Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

RELIC

My female was naked, in pain, curled up at the head of the bed, clutching a sheet to cover herself, to cover those scars on her body. I shook, so full of rage over whoever had done this to her, who had hurt her so much that she was suffering this way. I salivated for their flesh, craved the screams that would come as I tore the meat from their bones.

I didn’t know why she needed this, but I’d give her whatever the fuck she wanted if it made the wild, terrified look in her eyes go away. If ordering me to do this gave her the power back she needed, then she could order me about all she liked, but there was no way I’d do anything that she’d hate me for later. I’d die before I did anything to hurt her more.

“I got you, Tink.” I moved to the side of the bed. “Keep the sheet over you, and scoot down the mattress for me, yeah?”

The attitude left her wide, stunning yellow-green eyes now, replaced by other emotions—not all of them I was capable of naming—but it made my gut hurt and chest tight because even I recognized the shame, the hope, the fear. My female felt vulnerable. The word filled my mind—what it was, what it meant—and every one of my instincts demanded I pull her into my arms and soothe her. Fuck, I hated that I didn’t know what it was like to feel what she was feeling, that I couldn’t fucking help her exactly the way she needed because identifying an emotion was different than experiencing it yourself. I had an understanding because Lucifer had gifted that to us, but that meant fuck all when she was silently asking for something that I had no idea how to give.

“Now what?” she whispered.

My den was engulfed in silence. The only sounds were her quickened breaths and the low, rumbling growls I couldn’t seem to stop from vibrating through my chest.

“How do you usually get off, baby? You always rub your clit, or do you fuck yourself with your fingers?”

Her face went bright red. “I … I, um … my clit.”

“You’re pretty raw there now, yeah?” I asked carefully, keeping my voice as soft as I could because she was skittish as fuck.

Her eyes dipped, avoiding mine. “Yes,” she said so softly that anyone else wouldn’t have heard her reply.

“That’s okay. I can fix that.” I dropped to my knees on the floor beside the bed. “Can I take your hand, Fern?”

Her gaze sliced up to me, and she nodded. “What are you going to do?”

“A hound’s saliva has healing properties. It’ll heal you up fast.”

I took her hand, lifting it to my mouth, and she watched, wide-eyed, as I dragged my tongue over her delicate fingers, getting them nice and wet. I had to choke down my snarl when I got my first taste of her pussy. Her own healing abilities would heal her fast, but nowhere near as fast as mine.

“Now, I want you to spread yourself, Tink, and gently slide my saliva anywhere it’s sore. Can you do that?”

She nodded again, her face still deep red, her breathing growing more rapid. The scent of her pussy reached me, heavier now. She was getting wet again, and my cock was hard as stone, straining behind my jeans. I ignored it, focusing solely on her, on making her feel better.

Releasing her wrist wasn’t easy. I wanted to keep touching her, but I couldn’t do that, so instead, I watched her hand disappear under the sheet. Her legs spread wider under it, and then she exhaled hard when her hand made contact with her raw flesh.

“Oh, it feels …”

“Soothing?”

“Yes, it’s cooling, but warm and …” She bit her lip, and I could see her hand moving under the thin fabric.

“A bit more, and you should be all healed.” I licked my lips in anticipation. “Give me your hand again, baby.”

Her hand slipped back out, and her lids quivered as I lifted her fingers to my mouth. This time, when I dragged my tongue over her digits, her taste was so much stronger, and my fucking eyes rolled back in my head. My balls actually fucking tightened, and my cock pulsed so deeply—that for a moment, I thought I might disgrace myself.

It took all my control not to suck her fingers into my mouth, but somehow, I resisted. This wasn’t about me; this was for her—only her. I released her, and she did it again, only now, a little whimper escaped her when she slid her fingers over her abused clit.

“Better?” I asked, my voice so deep that it was all beast now.

“Y-yes. It’s not sore anymore.”

“That’s good, baby. And I know you want this over with, but if you rush it, you’ll end up back where you were when I walked into the bathroom. You need to start slow. Be gentle. Your pussy is delicate. The only time it gets abused is when it’s the good kind—the kind you want, the kind that makes your eyes roll the fuck back and has you begging for more. You don’t hurt yourself, okay?”

That pussy belonged to me, and it deserved to be worshipped at every opportunity.

“You never hurt yourself.”

She nodded. Sweet fucking Lucifer, her lips were swollen and dark from her sharp little teeth and fangs. Images of me leaning in and sucking that plump lower one into my mouth and tasting it invaded my mind.

“You usually circle it first or lightly rub?”

She was panting now, and the scent of her arousal filled the fucking room.

“Circles first.”

“Okay, good. Start with that, Tink.”

Her hand moved under the sheet, and her breath caught.

“Feels good?”

“Mm-hmm,” she said, her eyes fucking locked on me.

“No pain, baby?”

“No.”

The reason females came back to us over and over again was because we knew when a sexual partner liked what we were doing. We had the ability to register what they were feeling and could zero in and give her exactly what she needed. Yes, I could tell she was getting close by the way she’d picked up speed under the sheet, but I could also sense it and feel it.

“Don’t rush. Take it slow.”

She nodded, her lashes fluttering as her hand moved faster, ignoring me, chasing how good it felt.

Fuck, she was almost there already.

“You gonna come, sweetness?”

Her hand was moving fast as hell under the sheet now. Then her eyes fucking rolled up, her back arched, and her entire body stiffened. A cry burst from her before she jolted and trembled. Panting, she collapsed back onto the mattress.

“That’s it. Fuck, Tink. That’s it, baby.”

Her face was flushed, her eyes bright, lips swollen. I’d never seen a more beautiful sight than my female after she just came for me—because that was what she’d done. Fern had come for me, looking at me, imagining I was on top of her, inside her—there was no doubt in my mind.

“That was …” She shook her head.

“Looked pretty fucking good from where I’m sitting,” I said before I could stop myself.

A breathless laugh escaped her. “How you doing over there?” she asked.

I knew teasing when I heard it—that, at least, was something I had a lot of experience with, especially since Warrick had mated Willow, and her family became ours. I fucking loved that Fern was feeling lighter after that, especially after the way I’d found her.

“Don’t need to worry about me; this is all about you. One more, and then you’re golden.”

She bit that fucking plump lower lip again, her short fangs sinking in, and I reached out, pulling that sexy lip free before I realized what I was doing. She didn’t jerk back or tell me to fuck off though, so I swiped my thumb over it.

“You don’t abuse this mouth either—understand?”

She blinked over at me, her delicate throat moving with her audible swallow. “If you say so.” Her tongue darted out, sliding over where my thumb had just been.

I felt that stroke, as if it were across the head of my cock. We stared at each other, the silence stretching out. I was so fucking tempted to lean in and kiss her, to take ownership of that hot-as-fuck mouth as the seconds ticked by, but I didn’t. I would not risk scaring her away.

Instead, I cleared my tight throat. “You ready to go again?”

“I think so.”

“How you feeling? Any pain?”

She shook her head, but then she held her hand out. “Could you? I think it helps.”

“You got it.”

The taste of her pussy was making me crazy, but I could control myself—because I had to. I curled my fingers around her hand and dragged my tongue over her fingers. I tried to hold it back, but I fucking trembled—a full-body quiver, like I was shaking the water from my fur. I also moaned so rough and loud that Fern actually jumped.

“Sorry,” I said thickly and released her.

She blinked over at me. “Are you okay?”

I didn’t want her thinking something fucked up over my reaction, so I gave her the truth. “Didn’t mean to freak you out, babe, but you taste really fucking good.”

“I do?”

Another rough sound, which was pure hound, resonated from deep inside me. “If Lucifer decided to put me in the ground for good, you’d be my last meal, Tinker Bell.”

She did that biting-lips grin, like she had at the bar when she was holding in her laughter, and I really fucking liked that a lot.

“You still need my help, or do you want me to leave?” I made myself ask the question. I didn’t want to go anywhere, but I also didn’t want her to hate me when all this was done, and the lust she was feeling was replaced by something else.

“Oh, um … no. You can leave, if you want.”

No, I didn’t want that. I wanted to stay. But if I said I wanted to stay now, she’d think I was some fucking creeper when this was over, and if I left, she’d think I didn’t want to be here.

“I want to do whatever you want me to do,” I said like a fucking idiot.

“I should be okay.”

I had no choice but to leave, and I wanted to kick my own ass. “I’ll be just outside the door if you need me.”

She nodded. I stood and left my den, closing the door behind me, but I didn’t go far. I stood right there, facing the door, gripping the doorframe like a fucking dickhead. And not only could I feel her hunger, her pleasure building, but with my superior hearing, I could hear every rustle of the sheet, every panted breath, every whimper. My cock throbbed, and my heart pounded, and I could still taste her on my tongue. I was so fucking pissed off that I was out here and not in there, that I was missing it—missing the most beautiful female I had ever laid eyes on getting herself off—and I wanted to punch a hole through the fucking wall.

Her cry, when it came, pierced my fucking soul, and her drawn-out moan made my cock pulse so hard again that my knees almost gave the fuck out. I listened as she panted, as her breathing finally evened out, slowing when she fell asleep. I should stay out here for a bit longer, but I couldn’t stop myself from opening the door.

She lay on her back, her blood-red hair spread over my pillow, the scent of her pussy heavy in the air. I breathed deep as I took her in—so small in my bed, so still, besides her chest rising and falling. One of her hands was still under the sheet between her thighs. The other was up by her face, and there was something dark fisted in it.

I rounded the bed to get a closer look, and when I saw what it was, I bared my teeth and choked down a possessive snarl. My shirt—it had been on the floor. I leaned in and scented it now. I could smell us both. She’d had it by her face. My little female had been sniffing it, breathing in my scent when she got herself off the last time.

Pulling out my phone, I fired off a quick text to Rome. He owed me one, and I was calling it in. I didn’t know what caused this, but I’d never let her get in the state I’d found her in ever again.

I should probably give her some space after what happened; I didn’t want it, but she might. But I couldn’t convince myself to leave, not now. I also knew when she woke, she’d feel even more vulnerable, and I didn’t want that. Her waking up naked beside me wouldn’t help, so I grabbed my shirt from her hand and eased it over her head.

“Huh?” she said drowsily.

“You’re okay, Tink.”

She helped me slip her arms through the sleeves.

“Go back to sleep, baby.”

She muttered something incoherent, rolled to her side, curled up, and went back to sleep. I stripped down to my boxer briefs and slipped into bed beside her. She immediately wriggled closer; her unconscious mind recognized who I was even if her conscious one hadn’t yet.

No, I didn’t know what had happened here tonight, what had driven her to that, but I wanted to find out. Somehow, I had to get her to open up to me.

I wrapped an arm around her and buried my nose in her hair. “You’re safe now, sweetness. No one will ever hurt you again.”