7. Livy

CHAPTER SEVEN

LIVY

A blinding light raged around us, accompanied by a searing heat.

The wind howled violently, and gravity was rendered useless as Malek catapulted us into the air. I thought we were flying as we reached twenty feet high in the blink of an eye. High above the trees, we then descended like rocks. Malek had only jumped out of the blast's path, we were never flying.

I yelped, desperately holding on around his neck for dear life as my belly dropped out from under me.

Malek pressed me to his warm and firm chest, holding me princess style. "Brace yourself, Sunny," he howled, as we cruised toward the grassy clearing near the picnic blanket. Our landing on the grass was rough but Malek's powerful legs absorbed most of the shock and apart from soreness, I wasn't injured.

"Who is that man? Why is he doing this?" I asked, my eyes frantically searching the clearing as Malek's did the same.

He was nowhere to be seen .

"One of the Grand High Mage's underlings. The old crone must be getting desperate if she'd dare send assassins here." A thunderous explosion erupted from a few feet behind us and Malek leapt ten feet into the air, narrowly escaping the second blast.

Or at least I thought he did. A stabbing pain forked through my forearm as beads of blood soiled my blouse.

Rage twisted through Malek, morphing his gorgeous face from a canvas of beauty into something monstrous. Malek's feet hit the ground, skipping a few feet, and he turned to glare murderously at the mage.

"Brother, are you okay?" Ferina ran to us, bumping into Malek's hip.

"Take Sunny and go hide with her in the forest. I'll handle the assassin." Malek handed me to Ferina.

"I'm not a damsel here. I can still fight." I coughed, my fist pounded repeatedly into his chest.

"She's right." Ferina agreed. "Female warriors don't run from battle any more than male ones do. This isn't the middle ages, Mally."

"Sunny is injured. Can't you see? Just take her and go." Malek's voice was wrought with concern, he stabbed a finger at a thicket of trees, giving his sister a look almost as savage as the one he'd given the mage a moment ago.

Ferina noticed my bloodied shoulder and her lips formed a straight line. "Oh, that mage is dead."

"Yes, he will be, once you two get out of here. Now go." Malek barked, and finally obeying, Ferina propped my legs up higher, holding me against her.

She took off, and before we got more than a few feet away, an explosion rang out, cracking the ground.

A fourth blast, white as fresh snow, came at us like a bullet.

Malek sprinted to get between us and the blast, digging his feet into the ground. His chest puffing out like he meant to deflect it with his own body.

He transformed before my eyes, going from large to enormous. His seven feet became nine, his thick muscles now so large he could compete with the demi-gods in monster form. His fangs stretched down to his chin, his claws now long enough to separate a tree from its trunk.

Dark energy rolled off of him like a mist, his power so palpable you could taste it on the tip of your tongue. I trembled at the sight of it, in awe at the godlike power he exuded. The being standing in front of me was no longer a demon, he was a god.

The blast collided with Malek's sprawling chest, reflecting like light on a mirror. Bouncing off Malek, the beam shot into an oak, disintegrating the mighty fixture on impact.

Eyeing Malek's frightful appearance, a layer of dread obscured the mage's face. He looked left and right before hastily retreating into the trees.

Tracing so fast, my eyes struggled to follow, Malek materialized in the mage's path, blocking his escape.

Veins beat a visible pulse under the mage's skin. He paced back several steps, muttering nonsense. It was the babble of a man, maddened by fear, one who knew he'd made a terrible mistake. The last mistake he'd make on Earth.

"Here it comes. You might want to close your eyes for this part," Ferina looked downward, her arms going stiff as plyboard.

"What's Malek going to do to him?"

"Never hurt someone Mally loves. Not if you like your legs," she said in a somber tone as the air chilled.

I didn't understand what Ferina meant by that. But it all became crystal clear the instant I saw Malek seize the screaming mage. With the skill of an Olympic weightlifter, Malek swung the mage over his head, holding him up there like a barbell. So that one hand clutched his ankles and the other his wrists .

I flinched, my blood running cold as I contemplated the horror of what I was about to witness. The mage had barged in, crashed a peaceful picnic and tried to kill us all. What he did was unjustifiable. If it was up to him, we would have been burnt to smoky crisps.

Brutal as his methods could be, Malek was the reason Ferina and I were still alive.

I'd fight to the death to stop him from waging war on the helpless innocent, but I would not stop him now.

Malek pulled the struggling mage's legs one way and his arms the other. The sounds of bones cracking chilled me to my soul.

Sparing the gruesome details, our mage assassin now came as a two-part set, and he would not be ruining anyone's picnic ever again.

A friendly female doctor dressed the wound on my right arm with a cotton ball soaked in purple antiseptic. It stung a bit and the smell made me want to sneeze. Other than a few scratches and scrapes from my encounter with the mage earlier, I was completely fine.

It seemed like a bit of an overkill for Malek to have rushed me all the way up to the major trauma unit of Demon City's largest hospital. But this,of course, was an opinion that King Malek, my protector, didn't share.

"Are you sure she's going to be alright?" Malek asked the doctor for the fourth time.

With a graceful smile and respectful nod, she reassured him that, yes, she was certain that I would make a full recovery.

Malek restlessly paced from one end of the private room to the other, cursing in Demonish.

Ferina followed at his side, matching him toe to toe, wanting only to calm her anxious brother .

"The Grand High Mage is a dead woman! How dare she break into my city and attack my bride!" Malek pounded his fist against the wall, creating a deep, snake shaped fissure.

"The assassin is dead, and Sunny will be fine. Now why don't you sit down so Doctor Silveira can treat your wounds?" Ferina rubbed Malek's shoulder, but it didn't seem to calm him much as the veins popped up literally along his face, neck and shoulders.

This was a new experience for me. I've never been fussed over like this before. Every time I'd fallen and gotten hurt, I had to pick myself up and treat my own bruises. Nobody ever cared this much before. How could a man capable of such empathy be so desperate for more war and carnage?

"How in the hell did he even get past my defenses? I've had twenty-seven different defensive spells, enchantments and booby traps placed on the city's entire perimeter. Our traps and barriers span one hundred feet in the air and below ground." Malek flew to the window, wrenched the curtain back and gazed through the window, visibly perplexed. "Where did he find a weak spot in our defenses? Where?"

"Mages are the ones who cast most of our defensive spells." Ferina folded her arms, leaning against a wall adjacent to the window. "That's what we get for relying on rogue mages for hire. Even the best mages can't cast defensive spells that are a hundred percent foolproof. Even Jeffrey mentioned that he didn't trust the job the mages did on the walls."

"I'll have to get the walls fortified, maybe include some human surveillance tech this time." He turned from the window to face us. With brows drawn up tight, he pointed a questioning look at his sister. "Wait." He paused, holding one leg behind the other. "Have you been talking to my familiar? When did this happen?"

This conversation was finally getting juicy. I leaned forward, listening intently as the doctor moved on from my arm to clean the scratches on my upper chest. Who was this Jeffrey? And what kind of familiar was he? I read a book on familiars once.

Familiars are supposed to be a mysterious type of being from another world with immortal souls housed in the bodies of small animals like birds, mice, snakes and cats so they can remain on Earth. Ancient and powerful gods have been known to keep them as pets and companions, but I'd never seen one in real life.

"Oh, Jeffrey and I are like besties. We watched Vampire Diaries reruns the other night over pizza. We even did each other's nails." Ferina displayed her hot pink nail polish proudly, beaming at him.

His face went blank as he pulled the curtains covering the window. He came in closer to his sister, lowering his voice, "No more painting my familiar's nails or discussing military matters with him when I'm not around. We talked about this." Malek said, his cheeks puffed up as if he were jealous.

Oh my God, he was jealous.

His face grew flustered and pink in a cute sort of way, like he was a child who didn't want to share his toy.

"I'll do Jeffrey's nails as long as he allows me to and the same goes for our movie nights. If you don't like it, you can bite my plump demon booty." Ferina bit back, and I applauded her internally.

Malek's shoulders sank to the floor, and a defeated look rolled over his face. Blowing the wind out of his cheeks, he folded his arms.

"Fine," he blew.

Malek may have been the Demon God, but he was still powerless against his little sister.

"Who's Jeffrey, and what kind of animal is he?" I asked.

Malek and Ferina both glanced at me just in time to see the doctor moving her supplies around. It's your turn next, my King. Please have a seat here." The doctor pulled up another chair next to mine.

"Don't trouble yourself doctor, I brought you here for her. My wounds have already healed, I deflected the blast before it did too much damage."

Ferina took a look at her brother, scanning him from head to toe. His shirt was ripped in dozens of places but that was more from his transformation than injuries. Satisfied that her brother was fine, Ferina took a seat and scrolled through social media on her phone. While Malek came to me, kneeling at my side as the doctor left the room.

"Thank the heavens you're alright, Dearest One." Malek scooped me up, squeezing me in his protective embrace. "Nothing gives me more peace than to know you're fine. And to answer your question, Jeffrey is a raven. I found him caught in a bear trap shortly after I lost you all those years ago. He's been a good companion to me, but familiars are supposed to cling to only one owner. Jeffrey has been getting a bit too friendly with other demons."

"If you want to be monogamous, then put a ring on his beak," Ferina continued scrolling.

"I only have one ring to give, and Jeffrey's beak is not where I plan to put it." Malek said under his breath as his warm lips caressed mine, the soft touch sensitizing my skin and driving my senses wild.

He sucked my lower lip with gusto, his lips sweet as fresh honey. Something inside me vibrated as bolts of need burst through me. The bolts rumbled along my lips, venturing down my neck and torso, rocketing for my fevered pussy.

His earthy scent beckoned to me, forcing my nostrils to open and let more of him in. His savage kiss began an onslaught of sensations, ravaging my body, leaving me feeling both energized and worn, aroused and intimidated by his power.

He broke our kiss and just gawked at me for a long moment. Glorious power radiated from his pupils, stealing my desire to look anywhere but at him. Dark beauty was the enchanting power of his eyes. Crystal-like, their shine took my breath away, making me shudder with every blink.

"Is the sweet and hot soup ready? Lady Livienne needs a bowl." Malek said and the clack of heels alerted me to the aproned woman waiting at the door .

After a curtsy to Malek, the woman carried in a tray that held a bowl filled with soup and four different kinds of spoons.

Delicately setting me on the bed, Malek allowed the woman to place the tray on my lap. The soup was creamy white and smelled divine. I thanked her and she said I was welcomed.

I reached for the spoon and the maid beat me to it, taking the spoon in hand. "No, my lady, you are still healing. Rest your arm and allow me."

She leaned over the bed, carefully spooning just a little bit of soup and aiming it for my mouth, as if I were a child. I knew she meant well, but it did feel a bit awkward, especially since Malek was standing right there, watching everything.

"Please. I'm perfectly capable of feeding myself." I waved both hands from side to side. "I'm not used to being pampered like this."

"Please, allow me to take care of everything. You need not waste your precious energy." She said and the spoon entered my mouth and my tastebuds sang. It was like sweet corn mixed with a hint of something sour? Maybe rhubarb and undertones of applewood smoked bacon.

"Okay, I just had a flavorgasm," I said jokingly.

The maid giggled, her face swiftly going stoic again.

Malek's eyes went wide in wonder, his pupils darkening with desire.

She dipped the spoon in the soup and Malek cleared his throat. "Thank you, Sarah. I will take it from here." His voice sounded deeper and more feral than before.

Malek took a seat on the edge of the bed and reached for the spoon.

"Like I said, my arm isn't broken. I can still feed myself." I pronounced, as he filled it with soup. Drawing it near my lips, he waited for me to open them.

"Don't deny me the joy of caring for my sick bride." He said sweetly.

While I didn't like the childish undertones of this, part of me didn't completely hate the idea. I'd never been pampered like this before. And the way he looked at me displayed such devotion. He'd searched for me for years, and to him I was some kind of treasure. As morally reprehensible as I found his war plans, something in me didn't want to disappoint him.

"Okay, fine." My lips parted for the soup and joy made his face dazzle.

Malek watched me keenly, his nostrils flaring just a bit every time the spoon passed my lips. By the smile that wrinkled his cheeks, he was imagining something involving my lips, something he dared not voice, at least not yet. The next spoonful entered my mouth, the spoon caressing my tongue in a circular pattern.

Malek's gaze glossed over with lust as he swallowed. This was starting to feel like so much more than lunch.

There was a naughty game beginning between the two of us. Every time he touched me, my nerve endings sang to the heavens. Even this spoon felt like more than cold metal in his hands. If I'd fed myself, the soup would have just been soup. But in his hands, it was spicier, more flavorful and desirable.

The soup's heat spread from my belly, spreading down to between my legs. As he continued to spoon feed me, I wondered what he tasted like.

"You don't have to worry about a thing." He popped my thought bubble. "That mage was just an assassin sent by my enemies. A futile attempt at preventing war."

Malek smoothed a loose lock of hair behind my ear before continuing. "I have everything under control. I will send my best soldiers into mage territory, show them what happens when they try to harm those closest to me."

"If they are trying to take you out to prevent war, why not just make peace with them?" I argued. "If the mages stop seeing you as a threat, they won't send anymore assassins."

Malek placed the spoon in the bowl, letting his arms fall into his lap .

"As long as there are rulers with a thirst for blood, you will never live in a truly peaceful world. Without order, chaos will continue to consume this world." He gave me another spoonful, this time in a quick move that didn't linger or tease. My mind was fixating on a single word he just uttered.

‘Chaos'. It hadn't come up once in conversation. He claims to know me from childhood, wouldn't that also mean he must know my deepest secret?

"What's wrong, Sunny?" Malek sounded alarmed, searching for a napkin.

My jaw gaped and twin streams of soup fell from my mouth's corners, wetting my chest.

"Oh, I..." I dabbed a hand over my damp neckline.

"Allow me to clean it." Malek offered and I thought he meant with a napkin, but he had other plans.

Malek licked the soup from off of my chest. His warm, sleek tongue made a smooth path from the deep V cut of my blouse, up to the tip of my chin. I didn't know the words to say, the Demon King was lapping at my upper chest and neck like a puppy.

My pussy spasmed ferociously as his tongue ventured an inch beneath my top's upper rim.

I choked on a breath as a blinding need made my nipples tighten to firm little buds. My skin blazed like wildfire under his tongue. Everywhere he licked, the fire burned hotter.

Temptation, tantalization and pure captivation were the only things running through my mind as my body went into sensory overload.

"Malek." I moaned his name, fisting his hair. Greedily, I kept him there, tasting my flesh just as I dreamt of tasting his.

My pussy pleaded, no, begged for him to rush in, enter her and bound her to oblivion that she would never suffer this terrible hunger again .

"How cute, you're so horny for her you can't even wait to be alone before you go at it. My little Mally is finally all grown up. I'm so proud." Ferina puckered her lips, teasing him. She folded her leg, dropping her phone to her lap.

I released his hair, my lust draining away, replaced by reason. I needed to stop doing this. Every time he touched me, I lost control. I'm here to stop a war, not have a g-spot exploding orgasm.

"You're lucky you're my sister. No one else would dare make a mockery of me." Malek turned his head and eyeballed his sister.

"'Hooooorny." Ferina sang, just to push his buttons some more.

A plastic smile plastered Malek's face. "Since you're so full of energy, I'm tasking you with a new responsibility. You'll take Sunny into town tomorrow and introduce her to demon life. Teach her our ways and a few defensive techniques in case there are more intruders."

"I already know how to fight. I can take care of myself if they come back." I placed my palm on my searing neck, trying to cool it.

"I know you can." Malek took my hand, squeezing. "But in Demon City we fight as a cohesive unit. If you can learn a few of our group fighting formations, it will help me keep you safe in case of a larger scale attack."

"You know, this might actually be fun. I haven't had a newbie to train in forever. I promise to take it easy on you." Ferina winked.

"I'd be surprised if you can keep up with me." I retorted and Ferina seemed impressed by my confidence.

"Alright, let's see what you've got, she-wolf." Ferina rotated her shoulders and cracked her knuckles.

I cracked mine too, launching forward.

Malek pressed a hand into my belly, stopping me from standing.

"You two can train tomorrow." Malek jumped in like a referee. "The doctor said at the rate your wounds are healing you'll need a few more hours to be back to normal."

"It's all the same to me, lover-demon." Ferina shrugged, falling back into her chair and resumed scrolling through social media.

Malek took the spoon and I continued eating. I watched his face, studying it like there would be a test. There was still so much about this ancient being I didn't understand.

Love sparked behind his eyes when he looked at me, but hiding behind that was the murky haze of deception. More than kindness lurked behind his shiny white smile. There was something nestled beneath the surface, something he wasn't saying.

All alphas acted according to the same philosophy. They believed the rules simply didn't apply to them.

For weeks, the demi-god alphas, Payton, Blake and Chasten smiled at my face, all while knowing they were the ones who killed my parents. They hid their secrets well, all so they could gain my trust and manipulate me.

Malek was an alpha too, which meant he couldn't be completely trusted. Just like all alphas, he would go to any length to get what he wanted. That left only three questions. Exactly how far would he go? How many would he destroy just to have me and what would it really take to stop him?