Chapter 34

Cole

Garden District, New Orleans, Louisiana

W hen Cole woke, it was to midday sun pouring into the room and a bed empty of his witch. He barely took a second to consider that he never slept this late before bolting upright in bed and shouting, “Angel!” His blood was pounding in his ears, panic racing through his veins that she might have left. He was about to leap of out bed when, barely audible over the sounds of his body trying to kill him with fear, he heard her voice outside the room.

He was racing to the door before he even recognized that he had moved. “Angel?” he called again.

“I’m down here, Cole. In your study.” Her voice was exasperated but clear.

His feet took him down the hallway quickly until he was standing in the door to his study. Evie was curled on the couch, the oversized tome of his family’s history sitting open in her lap. “You weren’t in bed.” It sounded accusatory even to his ears.

“I couldn’t sleep.” She shrugged. “So I had a lot of time to think. And read.” Her finger traced a path down the page in front of her, and she finally looked up him. Her lips twitched as she took in his disheveled state.

He was wearing a pair of pajama pants that had a pattern with Scooby Doo and the rest of Mystery Inc. racing across them and nothing else. They were the only pajamas he owned— courtesy of a terrible gift exchange at the firm—and about two inches to short. Usually, he slept naked, but he had broken these out so there was no—well, less—temptation until she made her decision about everything.

“Hey.” Her eyes softened. “I’m still here. I didn’t go anywhere.”

Cole strode across the room, dropping onto the couch and tugging her to straddle his lap, burying his face in her neck. Her fingers skated through his hair as he took in greedy gulps of her scent, that cinnamon and orange smell so unique to her. “I was scared you left,” he muttered into her throat.

“I know.” Her response was simple. “But I didn’t.” She tugged at his hair, and his head lifted until her big grey eyes were all he could see. “I’m not leaving you, love.”

At the endearment sliding off her tongue, Cole’s pulse ratcheted up, and he realized exactly how badly he had fucked up with this seating arrangement. They hadn’t resolved anything; she hadn’t told him she had made any decision. But his Angel was straddling him, draped in his shirt and only his shirt, and her lips were just inches away from his own. He could feel her magic seething under her skin; his uncle had always told him that when there was someone whose magic complemented his own, it would have an almost aphrodisiac quality. He’d scoffed—freaking laughed—right in his uncle’s face. Now, he got it though. He had never been this hard in his life, and he was barely touching her.

Before he fell asleep last night, he had intended to start the day with the best of intentions. Make Evie breakfast, show her television, take her exploring a city she clearly loved. All of that went out the window when he woke up to an empty bed. He was operating on pure adrenaline now, and, as evidenced by that first night in the forest, that usually led him to impulsive actions. His hands tightened on her waist, and he tried to lift her off, but her thighs clamped around his. “Angel,” he groaned as she rolled her hips over him.

“Hmm?” Her breath brushed across his cheek.

“Little witch, I think you need to stop moving those fucking hips of yours right now.”

One of her eyebrows raised slightly. “Oh? And why is that?”

He cupped the back of her neck and tugged her forward. A small gasp escaped her, and he nearly ripped off his own pants at the sound “Because we will absolutely open the Underworld if we have sex, and I promised you I wouldn’t pressure you into a decision.” His thumb pressed into the flesh under her ear, a small stroke there sending a small shiver through her body. “And I care about keeping my promises to you. With you rocking your hips over me like that, though, all I can think about is how it would feel to be inside of you. What you would look like coming apart underneath me. The sound of you screaming my name. So I need you to stop fucking moving, Angel.”

“Cole.” She pushed back against his hand.

“Yeah?” He let her move her head back until she could make eye contact but couldn’t bring himself to let go of her neck.

“I made my decision.”

She made her—“Wait, what?” Time screeched to a halt, leaving him scrambling to catch up. He needed to think with the brain that made him one of the best attorneys in the city, the man who had co-founded an international firm, rather than with his dick, which was currently screaming at him to get inside of his witch. “You made your decision.”

“Yep.” A smile split her face as he stared at her. “I’m staying with you.”

That was good to know, but that wasn’t the most important of the choices he gave to her. “And the other decision.” It wasn’t a question. It was a demand. “Do you want to rule the Underworld and its inhabitants with me for the rest of our immortal lives?”

Evie raised her body, canting forward in his lap until she was only inches from his lips. “I want you , Cole. I’ll take the crown if I have to so that we can be together.”

Time stood still after her answer. “This isn’t just because we’ve made the absolutely fucking horrible choice to have this conversation while you’re in my lap, right?”

“I made this decision while I was sitting outside under the moon this morning, and you weren’t anywhere near me.” Her tone was straightforward, her gaze steady on his. “Yes, I want to have sex with you. But I’m not making my choice based on that, even though I don’t think us waiting for years to make this decision makes it any easier or, frankly, us able to think more rationally about it.” She pursed her lips. “I’m choosing this, you, because it’s the right thing to do. I want you in my life. And I won’t be responsible for an apocalypse because I’m afraid of change. With you by my side, it’s not quite so scary. It’s something we’ll accomplish together.”

Cole knew he should probably have questions. They should probably talk things through a bit more, figure out a game plan. Should probably call the Moirai to fact check the prophecy. But all of that paled in the face of Evie in his lap telling him she wanted him and a life together. His little witch. My fucking fated wife .

He pulled her in further, one hand wrapped around the base of her skull, tangled in her hair. “I’m assuming that you’ve never been with a man.” Her breaths were emerging in pants, her eyes already dilated with lust. “Have you, Angel?” She finally shook her head, and a bolt of victory struck him. “But you’ve had sex before?” She nodded. “Baby, it’s okay that I’m not your first, but I’ll be your fucking last.”

Rational thought faded as he picked her up and stalked over to his desk with her in his arms. Setting her down on the empty desktop, he scraped his hand over her cheek gently before stepping back. “Strip."

With an inscrutable smile, Evie gripped the sides of his shirt and slowly lifted it over her head. Dropped it to the floor behind her. And Cole forgot how to fucking breathe at the sight of her naked in front of him. She was absolutely stunning with plump breasts and curvy hips, seemingly made with him in mind. On her left arm was that delicate winding tattoo that ran to the middle of her forearm, even more nuanced than he initially thought and the perfect inverse complement to his own snake tattoo. Just another sign that she was made for him, even if he didn't completely understand any of it. She was an absolute vision, and she was all fucking his .

That single thought nearly took him to his knees. He had a lifetime to discover everything about her, all the things that made her scream, moan, gasp, whimper, and every other sound in between, but right now, he desperately needed to taste her.

He stepped into her, crashing his mouth down over hers. A tiny moan slipped from as he ran his tongue over the seam of her full lips, parting them, his tongue sliding into her silken mouth. She tasted exactly the way she smelled: oranges and cinnamon, just like a fucking dessert. Her beautiful mouth, her delicious taste and scent, they belong to me now . He dominated her, marked her as his.

Her arms were wrapped around his neck, her curvy body pressed against his. She was just as lost for him as he was for her, practically vibrating with need against him. He bit her lower lip, felt her sharp intake of air at the sudden sting, before he dropped to his knees in front of her. His head was right at the height of her breasts, her nipples tightening before his eyes. He nipped the taut buds, laved them with his tongue, and then bit down hard on one nipple while pinching the other. “Holy gods, Cole!” she cried.

“Angel,” he growled. “You call my name like that again, and I’m going to forget all the ways I’m going to make you come before I fuck you like the dirty little witch you are.” He palmed her breast again, his big hand making her look small as he rolled his thumb over her nipple. “But feel free to scream for me, ma belle sorcière .”

Varying the intensity of each bite, he bit across her chest and down her stomach, leaving imprints of his teeth across her skin. She was his ; his marks only reflected that on the outside. She moaned and gasped at each touch; the chorus of her pleasure was driving him insane. “I bet you’re fucking soaked for me, Angel.”

Evie’s eyes met his, her stormy grey irises nearly completely overtaken by dilated black pupils and tinged with lunar gold and neon blue. “Why don’t you find out?”

Mouthy little witch, so desperately in need of punishment. Right now, though, he needed to feel her, craved his head between her thighs, desperate to have her come on his tongue. There was time for correction later. He slid his hand between her thighs, running his thumb along her slit. Completely drenched. Just for him. Just like I knew she would be. A low rumble left him, and he tossed his head back. She was going to be the death of him. He wouldn’t survive long enough for them to claim their throne because his witch was going to kill him before he ever got the chance to fuck her. But what a way to go.

Cole slid a long finger inside her, slowly thrusting before adding a second finger. Evie was trembling above him, moaning as she rode his hand, rocking her hips for the friction she needed. “Jesus Christ, I need to fucking taste you.” She whispered out a “please” in response. He was practically shaking himself when he slid his fingers out of her and ordered, “Spread your legs, Angel. Let me see your pussy.”

Without a word, just a glorious whimper, she spread her legs, exposing herself to him. “God, you’re perfect,” he murmured as he made himself comfortable between her thighs. After draping her legs over his shoulders and taking a glance up at her stunning face, he leaned in and ran his tongue the length of her. “And fucking hell, you’re delicious too, witchling.” With that, he gripped her hips and dragged her to his face, licking her as if he could never get enough of her, refusing to even come up for air. He would drown in her before he would willingly stop.

Above him, Evie dropped to her elbows as she rode his face. Her breath was emerging in little gasps, raspy moans that carried down to where he knelt in between her legs.

With a small smirk, Cole finally sucked hard on her rigid clit. She let loose a keening moan, almost a scream, her legs clamping around his face as he slid two fingers back inside her, curling them at the perfect angle to make Evie lose her mind, and pumping, all while keeping up his tongue’s relentless assault.

“Holy Gaia, Cole, please don’t stop,” she begged.

He wasn’t going anywhere until he saw what she looked like when she came on his own tongue. Hellhounds couldn’t drag me away , he thought as her inner walls started fluttering around his fingers, her clit beginning to pulse against his tongue.

“Cole!” she screamed, body seizing and falling to the desk, hands shoving through his hair as she writhed against his mouth and sobbed out her orgasm loudly enough that it probably alerted the whole neighborhood. Good. Let them hear who she belonged to, the only fucking person who would ever give this to her.

Cole kept pumping his fingers into her, forcing her through her orgasm until the hands in his hair started pushing him away, and she giggled at the overwhelming sensation. Rocking back on to his feet, he stared unabashedly at his little witch, soft and satiated above him. That wasn’t enough though. He needed every part of her.

He nipped her thigh before standing between her legs. Evie lay prone before him. She was too extraordinary for words. Too good for him. His heart stuttered, and, despite the overwhelming need crawling through his blood, he checked in with her. Gave her one last chance to stop this. “You can still say no, baby. We don’t have to go any further than this right now.”

Her tangled hair fell away from her face when she sat straight up, a fiery look in her eyes. “Don’t you dare stop, Cole.” His entire body was on fire as she ran her hand across his chest before looking down at where his dick was tenting his pajama pants. “I want you, and I will take everything that comes with you.” She pulled on his waistband. “Now get inside of me or, I swear to the gods, I’m going to go take a shower once I can figure out how to turn it on and make myself come again—”

A growl rolled from his chest. “Like hell you will.” He wound a hand in her hair, grasping enough of her auburn mane to allow him to establish a solid grip and crank her head back, exposing the long column of her neck. “You, bel petit ange, are going to have to get used to the fact that this cunt, your whole perfect body, belongs to me." He leaned into her, whispering savagely, “And you only get to come when I fucking say you do.”

Her gaze intent on him, she reached for his pants, but he dropped his grip on her hair and wrapped his hand around her wrists, binding them behind her back. “Not yet, baby. You don’t get to touch until I give you permission.”

She made a low grumpy sound in her throat, followed by a muttered but indecipherable comment.

He raised his eyebrows. “We need to talk about that bratty mouth of yours, vilaine fille , because you can’t keep thinking you can get away with that shit.” Her mouth quirked into what was probably going to be a smirk, maybe a sarcastic response, but he shook his head at her. Swiped his thumb across her lips. “How about you control that urge to be a brat, so I let you come again rather than spanking that pretty ass red?”

She opened her mouth, closed it, then smiled angelically at him.

“That’s a good girl,” he purred. “Now I’m going to give you one of your hands back so you can take off my pants because I need to be inside you. Right. Fucking. Now.”

Evie’s face lit up as she pushed his pajama pants down with her free hand, the other still bound by his grasp behind her back. He stepped out of the loungewear and stood still, allowing her to take him in. Cole knew he was larger than the average man, which didn’t really matter, but he also knew that she may want a look at him before he was inside her, especially since… “Are all men pierced?” she asked, sliding her fingers over his piercing.

He groaned at the feeling of her fingers rolling over the cool steel. “Not all.”

“Why would you do it then?” She shifted her hand down his shaft, away from the piercing, lightly grazing her fingers along his length.

“Mostly because I got drunk and lost a bet.” That little experience showed him why he shouldn’t party with tattoo artists, especially relatives. Prohibitions against tattooing and piercing drunk assholes didn’t really have the same weight when the artist was your distant cousin. He lightly removed her hand from him, tugging it behind her once more. “Angel, if you keep touching me like that, this is going to be over a lot sooner than I want. Now, if I let your hands go, will you be a good girl for me and keep them by your sides until I tell you you’re allowed to move?” She nodded enthusiastically, and he released his grip on her wrists. “Hands by your hips until I say otherwise."

Her eyes were glazed with lust when he finally kissed her again, sinking into her lush mouth, trailing the backs of his fingers down her body. “Please, Cole,” she begged. “I need you so badly.” Her hands clenched on his desk, her knuckles white from the tightness of her grip, but she kept them firmly planted.

“I know, Angel,” he murmured gently, running his cock over her clit before sliding to her entrance. Her back arched, pulling her eyes away from him. That won't do at all. He needed her stormy gaze on his this first time. Fisting her hair in his left hand, he tugged back her head until all she could do was look straight into his eyes. With an "Eyes on me," he gripped her curvy hip in his right hand and slid partially into her on a swift thrust. She gasped, a lone sound in the silence of his office. “Fuck,” he swore softly into her neck.

He had to make this good for her—she had spent her life in the woods, and although he knew it had been a rich and full life with her coven sisters, this was still her first time having sex with a man. If he wasn't careful, he could hurt her, it could be painful for her… any number of thing could happen that would make it a less than enjoyable experience. He needed to make sure she enjoyed every bliss-soaked second because he intended to do this with her for the rest of their immortal lives. If nothing else, he needed to take it slowly. But she was so tight around him, her walls already clenching around his pierced cock, and he wasn’t even halfway in yet. He wasn't sure his self-control was that good. “Goddammit, Angel, I never would have dreamed you'd be like this.”

She smiled up at him, practically glowing in the harsh afternoon light filtering in, and laughed throatily. “Well, it seems like you were definitely able to dream of me like this.” When he looked down at her in shock, her smile morphed into a mischievous smirk. “What, are we not joking yet that you’ve been fantasizing about me since you were a teenager?”

Cole pushed her sweat-soaked auburn curls back from her forehead. Figures that she would be an absolute brat now when he was too lost in her to even think of punishing her. “Maybe after I’ve made you come so hard you can’t walk or see straight, maybe then it will be time for jokes.”

She wrinkled her nose at him, rolled her eyes mockingly. And with those two small movements, the mood in the office shifted once more as he found himself needing to put his bratty little witch in her place. “Did you just fucking roll your eyes at me, Angel?” he growled at her, nipping at her nipple.

She squeaked and jumped a bit as that small bit of pain filtered through her. “So what if I did?” she asked, clutching his shoulders. “What are you going to do about it?”

Cole could have sworn that his heart stopped in his chest just a little bit, right before he shifted his hips back, slipping almost fully out of her. Evie’s eyes grew large, her mouth falling open to start begging right before he slammed back into her. She rasped his name, almost shouted it, as he plunged in between her legs; her nails dug into his shoulders with each thrust.

He bit her lower lip and snarled, “mine” before kissing her roughly. This is what obsession feels like. The thought was dim in his mind, all his attention on the fluid shape of her as she arched her back, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist, her peaked nipples rubbing against his chest.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as magic flooded the room with each forceful thrust. Evie writhed under him, growing wetter and more wild as she took him deeper with every stroke. “Cole, love, please,” she begged.

“Please what, Angel?” he growled into her ear. “‘Use your words, belle fille , even though your sweet little cunt is telling me exactly what you fucking want.” He could feel her bearing down on and soaking his cock, small flutters trembling around him as he plunged into her.

“Please, Cole, please let me come,” she cried.

Items fell haphazardly to the floor as their magic intertwined, and the world shook around them, but the sounds were muffled. Indistinct. He couldn’t say with certainty what was shaking the world: an earthquake, a cataclysmic combination of their magic, or an actual medical emergency. All he knew was he couldn’t stop.

He dropped two fingers between her legs, strumming her sensitive clit. She let out a sharp shriek against his lips, bucking against him, clenching around him, as he rubbed with a bit more pressure on each stroke. The muscles in her thighs seized around his waist, and her moans were nearly constant as he kept up his grueling pace. “Scream for me, Angel. Let everybody in this fucking neighborhood know exactly who you belong to.”

One last quick stroke of his fingers over her clit, and she fell over the edge, screaming as she came apart around him. “That’s right, baby.” His words were so guttural that he barely recognized his own voice. Couldn’t even figure out what exactly he was demanding of her as she strangled his cock. “Jesus Christ, I can feel you coming all over me, Angel.” She was chanting his name, soaking him with every thrust, her nails digging bloody pinpricks into his arms, when he came. “Fuck, yes, take my cum, baby!” he roared, shuddering violently as he pumped out everything he had into his Angel. His dream woman.