5. Nox

5

Nox

S omehow, I'd found myself in a club.

I'd walked out of the house with no real sense of direction, what I'd discovered repeating itself over and over again in my head.

Micah's in love with Dimitri.

Dimitri doesn't love Micah.

An angel has been flying overhead.

All of it had added up to a foul mood. The thing that was fucking me off most of all was that I didn't understand why I cared. I shouldn't have cared that Micah was pining over someone who resembled me. I shouldn't have given a fuck that fate claimed we were perfect for one another. There was no way that could be the truth, not given how different we were. Micah was uptight and looked down his nose at everyone he came across.

Okay, so I might not have seen him interact with many others, but I liked to think his sneer wasn't just reserved for me.

And if it was? Well, that was fine. I didn't want him to like me.

I wanted him to hate me, just as I hated him.

The one thing I should have cared about was that an angel had been flying overhead. If it was Micah, I wasn't sure what I'd do about it, if anything at all.

However, if it was another angel? Specifically, another arch?

That could spell trouble for us all.

While I suspected Micah had kept his unit away from me while I'd been having my fun, I wasn't certain that was the case. Even if he had ordered them not to harm me, it was highly unlikely he'd extended the same courtesy to the other demons I lived with.

With Dahlia and Darius MIA, and Jeremiah attempting the world record in one-night stands, it just left me watching over Quill. Before we'd left Hell, he'd been as formidable a force as the rest of us.

Now though, I was…concerned. Quill was essentially starving his powers, making him easy prey for anyone who chose to come looking.

Not wanting him left unprotected, I'd cast my own ward over the house. It wasn't as good an effort as Quill's, but it'd notify me if anyone crossed it.

How I'd found myself in the club on Westbrook Street was beyond me. I'd just been wandering aimlessly, trying to get my mind to shut the fuck up for two minutes.

Realistically, my demon must've taken control, following the trail of sin to this place.

Because my oh my, did this club have sin to spare.

Men were gyrating on each other, not caring who was watching. Several couples, and even one threesome, had disappeared into the corridor that led to the bathrooms. And those were just the ones looking for privacy. Many of the humans hooking up didn't seem to need it, opting instead for a dark corner, or just getting it on in the centre of the dance floor.

As a demon, I felt right at home. Lust was thick in the air, and my powers were humming along my skin. The music was pounding, the bass reminding me of filthy, uncontrolled sex. The kind where nothing else existed except for you and your partner. Chasing your pleasure roughly. Moans and soft screams the only noise aside from slapping skin.

Yet another reason why Micah and I weren't meant to be. That angel wouldn't know good sex if it bit him on the arse.

Ironic, given biting was definitely on my ‘good sex checklist.'

My eyes were closed and my body loose as I moved to the rhythm. With the amount of lust surrounding me, it was as close to being high as I could hope to be as a demon.

Sadly, experiencing the lust second-hand was the best I was going to get tonight. Despite the many attractive specimens surrounding me, my cock just wasn't interested. Not even in the two gorgeous men grinding up against me, their hands exploring whatever they wanted.

They could look, they could touch, but they weren't going to get anything in return. Not from me, anyway.

I didn't stop dancing with them though. Their lust was so potent, so close, that I could drown in it.

Micah would never do this , I told myself. He wouldn't let go in a club with you. Or show affection so publicly. He'd probably insist on all fucking happening in a bed with the lights off.

Something that would never happen with me.

The song transitioned into something darker, the tempo dripping with sex. One of my dance partners squealed, grabbing my wrists and draping them over his shoulders.

I kept my eyes closed. I tried so hard not to picture Micah, but I couldn't help myself. This stranger was a similar height, a similar shape, but apparently that wasn't enough to fool my dick. The traitorous fucker wasn't getting hard for anyone other than that stuck-up fucking angel.

My lack of arousal didn't stop me moving against the man like I was fucking him. Sliding my hands to his hips, I held him just as I would have if he were under me.

My other dance partner was behind me now, grinding away in the same manner as I was. That wasn't doing anything for me either, but the heightened lust the human was feeling as a result was worth it.

Just then, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I groaned internally. Please don't be him. Please, just give me this.

Naturally, there was no one to listen to the prayers of demons. I reluctantly opened my eyes and they found Micah instantly. Like me, he was on the dance floor, but not moving. No one came near him either, meaning he'd probably put a compulsion net up.

He just stood there, impressive arms folded over his chest, glaring at me.

Guilt tickled at me before I clamped down on it. What the fuck did I have to feel guilty about? Micah was nothing and no one to me—a sentiment I knew went both ways. For Hell's sake, he'd told me to go out and get laid, so why was he glaring at these humans like he was planning the best way to kill them?

Not that he'd do that, obviously. Micah was an angel, after all. And not just any angel, the head of God's most lethal unit of soldiers.

He was the saintliest of saints.

Fuck if that didn't make me want to dirty him up a little.

Despite knowing it didn't matter what Micah thought of my night out, I found myself compelling both my dance partners to leave. A gleam of satisfaction appeared in Micah's eyes as he watched them go.

I prowled over to him, my hands in fists at my sides. "Happy now?"

Micah lifted his chin defiantly. "I didn't ask you to do anything."

Leaning close, I whispered in his ear, "You might want to tell your face that, little angel. I don't know what's more revealing, the fact that you looked like you wanted to murder them for touching me, or the relief you showed after they left."

Micah jerked back a step. "That would imply that I feel anything for you other than hate."

I smirked, chasing him to close the distance again. "Really? You might want to tell your cock that. Nice dick print, by the way."

Micah's lip curled, but fair play to him, he didn't attempt to hide the effect I was having on him. "Could say the same about you."

He wasn't wrong there. My libido, which had been missing earlier, had returned in full force. "Don't flatter yourself, little angel. I can enjoy the outer package while hating the interior. It's not my fault that my cock is fixated on you. There's no accounting for taste."

"I told you not to call me that."

"I'll stop when you ask me to, instead of telling me. "

I'm sure others found Micah's glare intimidating, but all it did was turn me on that bit more. "I thought you were going to behave."

My brows shot up as I thumbed behind me. "Um, I was dancing. How's that not behaving?"

"With two men," he ground out. "Is one not enough to keep you satisfied?"

The photos I'd seen earlier flicked through my mind. "Ah, so this isn't about me at all. It's about Dimitri."

Micah blanched. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do. Let's speak frankly, Micah. Dimitri broke your heart by choosing a demon over you. Then we add in that Dimitri realised he did love another, but once again, that person wasn't you. Am I close?"

Micah was angry now. His nostrils flared, hands fisted at his sides. When he spoke, his voice was deathly quiet. A warning. "Back off, Nox. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh but I do. You had to watch the man you love walk away from you. Not just you, but the entire unit. He left behind the only life he'd ever known without even a backwards glance."

Micah was trembling, light sparking at his hands. He didn't raise them though. Didn't make any move to stop me. Which was good, because I was on a roll. I didn't know where these words were coming from and I was powerless to stop them.

"You had to watch him fall. Watch him say goodbye to those you consider family."

Micah's chest was rising and falling quickly.

"Then you realised that fate had never planned for you to be with him. That you could love him as much as you want, but you were never meant to be his. No, you're fated to be with someone who's nothing more than a cheap imitation. You can squint and see him in me, but not completely."

Something I said had Micah frowning, small lines appearing beside his eyes.

"All along, fate played you for a fucking fool," I said bitterly. "It's played us both for fools, little angel. Now we're stuck with a fucking bond neither of us want or need."

"That I can agree with," he said hoarsely.

I gave him a tight smile, ignoring the knot that had formed in my chest. "And so, like I said, this isn't about me at all. It's not even about the fact that we're mates. It's because you saw me dancing with two men. Me, the man who reminds you of the one you really love. The one you'd choose over everyone, even if fate has other plans."

I moved closer, my breath rushing over his mouth tauntingly. "So tell me you're not bothered all you want, little angel, but stop lying to yourself."

Light flared in his eyes as something in him seemed to snap. He raised his hand. I braced myself for the hit…

…but it never came.

Instead, Micah grabbed the back of my neck and hauled my lips against his.

Surprise kept me still for a split second. I couldn't do anything but taste him. He was all buttery warmth, tinged with sugar. Like the fresh croissant I'd had one early morning in Paris over a hundred years before.

All too soon, he went to pull away. That had me snapping back to reality.

I hadn't had enough of him. Not yet.

Now I was the one wrapping my hand around the back of his neck as I took control of the kiss. My other hand went to his rear, pulling him tight to me. His cock ground against my thigh as mine pressed into his abdomen.

Impatient to taste more of him, I flicked my tongue against his lips until they parted for me. I took no prisoners, swooping inside as though I was trying to devour him.

I'd been expecting him to fight me for dominance. To attempt to wrest control from me. But no, Micah did the last thing I expected.

He turned pliant in my embrace, letting me take what I wanted. He wasn't passive though—far from it. His small whimpers and moans fed my lust, along with the erection still pressed against me.

Fuck. I needed more. Question was, how much was he prepared to give?

I broke us apart, staring wildly into his face. Everything I felt was reflected in his eyes. Confusion. Frustration. Lust.

Need.

Before I could speak, Micah's strong fingers wrapped around my wrist. Spinning on his heel, he strode for the exit of the club.

He'd threatened to drag me out of somewhere by my heels before. I had to say, this was a far more agreeable scenario.

I followed him willingly, letting him tote me into the chilly night air. We didn't go far, just into an alley that ran alongside the club. He dragged me down into the depths of it, away from prying eyes. I cast a compulsion net anyway. Better safe than sorry.

Releasing my wrist, Micah faced me, his chest heaving. The moon lit up his face, throwing his beautiful jawline and nose into sharp relief. "Well? "

I raised a brow. "Well, what? You're the one who dragged me out here."

The need in Micah's eyes faded slightly, his spine stiffening. It was like he was taking that man I'd kissed in the club and packing him away before my very eyes. "Never mind."

"Wait." I stepped to the side to block his exit. "Tell me what you need, little angel. You never know, I might give it to you."

His lip curled in a sneer. "You? You can't give me anything I need."

This. This was better. Him sniping at me was familiar. The base hatred we felt for each other put us back on the level we both preferred.

Backing him up against the wall, I caged him in with my arms. "Sure about that, little angel? Because that's not the impression I got when you kissed me."

His eyes flicked to the side. "That was a mistake."

"A mistake you want to repeat if I'm reading this correctly, which I assume I am. Despite what you might think about demons, we're actually a highly intelligent species. You have to be if you want to extract maximum pain from humans."

Loathing filled Micah's eyes. "You disgust me."

"That might be true, but not all of you is disgusted by me. A part of you wants to know what it'd be like to have me inside you. To know what it feels like to be at my mercy. Look me in the eyes and tell me that's not true."

A muscle jumped in his jaw. "It doesn't mean anything."

Triumph roared through me even as I kept my face impassive. "But you want me."

"Against my will, yes. You'll never be the one I truly want, but apparently my cock doesn't give a shit about that. So you can fuck me as much as you want, but it won't mean anything."

It hit me then, why Micah wanted me. It wasn't the bond. At least, that wasn't the main driving factor behind this.

No, it was what I'd been taunting him about. The reason he'd kissed me in the first place.

" Me, the man who reminds you of the one you really love. The one you'd choose over everyone, even if fate has other plans. "

Micah wanted me to fuck him because it was as close as he'd ever get to being with Dimitri.

For some reason, that knowledge had my flames licking at my skin. Why though? I didn't usually give a fuck who my bed partners were thinking about. So long as I got off, I didn't really care.

But, for some reason, with Micah I did care. I wasn't going to be a Dimitri replacement, fulfilling some misguided fantasy that he couldn't let go of.

Wrapping my hand around his throat, my voice was sharp enough to cut glass. "Be sure what you're asking for, Micah. I won't fuck you like that former angel would. It won't be gentle, soft, or caring. I'll fuck you with all the hate I have for your kind that courses through my veins. I'll punish you for every eternal minute you've spent living in glory while I was rotting in squalor. I'll fuck you like I hate you, because I do. There'd be no love in it, Micah. Just hate."

I released him and stepped back, waiting for him to walk away. He wouldn't want me now. Not when I'd made it clear what would happen.

But to my eternal shock, Micah smirked. "Good."

I froze as his hands went down to unbutton his trousers. "Didn't you hear me? "

"Crystal clear." He turned away, facing the wall. His creamy skin was on display, taut cheeks I wanted to bury my face between. "Show me then. Fuck me like you hate me. Punish me. Do it, knowing I hate you too. That you can own my body, but you'll never own my heart."

Those words pierced me deep, but I used my hate to patch the wound. This would never be anything to either of us, but seeing as I couldn't get hard for anyone else, I wasn't going to pass up this opportunity.

"Good," I echoed, grabbing some lube from my wallet. "I don't want your heart. I don't want anything from you, Micah, except this tight hole."

He shivered as my fingers brushed over his crease, and now I was the one smirking. "Yeah, I think this hole is going to be mine. For now, at least."