XI

"W e'll practice mixing business with pleasure." Raphael sat on the edge of the couch; his body angled toward her. "You're not hiding any more tricks up your sleeves, are you?" He placed his hand on her thigh and relished in the goosebumps that rose to meet his palm. Stella's eyes widened slightly as she shook her head. " Good girl ."

Raphael felt a jolt of pleasure as Stella remained composed under the languid stroke of his thumb against her inner thigh. He was pressing a heavy amount of his demonic influence against her to see if what happened in the hot springs wasn't some strange fluke.

In the bathroom, while tending her wounds, he'd kept it under a tight leash, but this proved it. She was immune to his power. It didn't sit right with him, but there was a certain degree of excitement it wrought in him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten someone off without his powers…

"I must warn you, love, this particular skill could take a few lessons for you to become properly proficient."

Desire darkened her eyes further, and as he leaned toward her, she accommodated him beautifully by leaning back.

"And is embracing a demon the equivalent of embracing darkness?" The arch, slightly husky question brought a flush of anticipation to his cheeks. Raphael allowed his hand to change tactics and climb up the outside of her thigh to her hip.

"Oh, yes," he answered, matching her tenor. Over the next few beats that played out silently between them, they moved in perfect harmony.

His grip tightening to pull her down the couch.

Stella was stretching down to rest on her elbows.

Raphael slipped from the couch's edge onto his bent knee, deftly pulling off her shorts as he went.

"Good." Her response was nearly breathless as she locked eyes with him. "I want to indulge in you."

Gods . If that wasn't the most erotic thing he'd ever heard, Raphael didn't know what was. His cock strained against his trousers in complete agreement.

He parted her thighs. "It would be my pleasure."

Raphael gave a final tug to her legs that brought her bottom to the couch's edge. Her pretty pink pussy glistened back at him in invitation—and he took it. A throaty moan issued from her as he dragged the flat of his tongue over her lips. Her sex was the perfect mixture of salt and delicious tanginess that made him go back for seconds.

A rumble of deep appreciation rolled up the back of his throat.

Stella let out a small mewl of protest as he lifted one of her legs over his shoulder and squirmed. He nipped the inside of her thigh in rebuke and glanced up to catch her eye.

"Ouch," she whispered.

Raphael smirked and flicked the little nub of nerve endings wet from his previous attentions. In satisfaction, he watched as her expression shuddered and bit down on her lip. "The best kind of pleasure always comes with a hint of pain."

Her mouth fell open, bottom lip jutting out in an alluring pout that made him want to pounce on her. It was addicting to watch her every reaction to his touch—to have to work for his prize. The thrill it elicited was nothing short of divine.

He worked her with his tongue. Tasting her. Testing her. Every hitch of breath and stuttered mewl cataloged to drive her closer to the edge of completion. But there was still something missing…

A quick study of her tense body told him what he needed to know.

She needed to relax. To give in fully to his attentions. If she didn't, well then, he couldn't very well qualify this surprising interlude as mixing business with pleasure.

"Let go, Stella ," Raphael commanded and then suckled her clit until her back rose from the couch. "I want to hear you. I want you to show me what you like."

She whimpered as he dragged her hand toward his head, offering some resistance as she tried to keep her closed hand near her side. But she gave up the fight as he slipped his tongue inside of her. Stella cried out, hips bucking upward, and her hand unclenching to surrender to his lead.

The first graze of her fingertips against his horn brought an electric shock from the base of his spine straight to his ball. He moaned against her cunt and let his other knee drop to the floor. Stella's fingernails lightly scratched his scalp as she gripped his hair and urged him on.

Never one to disappoint a paramour—no matter how fleeting the affair—Raphael intensified his attentions. Using his fingers he spread her pussy apart, reveling in how slick her lips had become. His tongue speared inside of her once more, lapping up the sweet, salty tang of her. Stella's fingers tightened reflexively in his hair as another cry escaped her.

He smirked against her sex as he took her higher and higher, her cries coming out in earnest now.

"Raphael," Stella panted.

His gaze slid up her body, and Raphael found himself transfixed by the sight of her. Chest heaving. Head lolled back. And Gods , did her nipples make the most enticing points against the scrap of fabric draped over her chest.

They practically begged for his attention and who was he to refuse?

Raphael's unoccupied hand slid over her hip toward her lower abdomen. Another scratched intake of breath reached his ears as he carefully nibbled the sensitive flesh around her needy arousal. Her hips drove upward.

"Please," she whispered. "I need—" A lusty moan banked whatever plea he'd managed to coax from her. Probably from the rather earnest attention he began to pay to her clit and the sly thrust of two fingers inside her.

Pain met pleasure as Stella's fist constricted and pulled at his hair. The succinct bite of pain roused a growl from him, stirring fire into his blood. He'd all but forgotten how gratifying the act of giving could be thanks to his demonic talent—not to mention the pleasure of receiving.

Over the years, he'd learned to work around his power to achieve his own pleasure. But recently, it had all started to feel a bit perfunctory . It was always the same song and dance. The only difference being the face that stared back at him in lust-struck wonder.

Sometimes he wondered if the growing feelings of discontent were a side effect of his half-ling blood. His full-fledged brethren never seemed to get bored, and he wondered further if his feelings would change when he became a full demon.

But no such thoughts crossed his mind at the unexpected gift that was Stella.

The last harboring of anger and ire over her immunity vanished at the first whimper she produced. Business with pleasure indeed . Raphael curled his fingers inside of Stella, locating the little bump that would be her undoing. He decided then and there to make the most of his alone time with the banshee while she had any left.

He couldn't wait to get Stella on her knees before him, lodge his cock down her throat, and make her swallow every last drop of him. The greedy image brought Raphael precariously close to the edge, and if the sounds Stella made were any indication, she was too.

But before he let her tip over into oblivion, he wanted to knead her heaving breasts and learn their peeks. His hand continued its northern ascent, surprised to find the plane of Stella's stomach toned with muscle.

With each inch gained upon new territory, anticipation built deep inside Raphael's chest. It beat like a war drum at the bottom of his sternum. Just a little further , he thought as his fingers grazed the edge of her cropped camisole.

"Raph—oh! Oh, wait! No! Stop ."

Her words barely registered when suddenly the grip on his head became particularly ruthless and yanked him back.

"What the hell?" Raphael snarled as Stella scampered back ungracefully, using him as leverage by planting her heel against his shoulder.

Raphael landed on his ass with a grunt, his elbow and part of his back knocking painfully into the coffee table causing it to collapse. Silence erupted between them. The only sound in the room was their stunted breathing and a weak ticking from the fireplace's mantel.

"Sorry," she squeaked, tugging down her top. Her gaze shifted restlessly over him until it snagged on her discarded shorts. She snatched them up with impressive speed and put them on. When she finished, she jumped up from the couch and placed herself behind it.

Raphael remained on his ass.

"You were just about to come," he stated calmly, despite his churning agitation.

Stella's face lit up in a blush as Raphael hauled himself to his feet and adjusted his hard-on to a less confining position. When she said nothing, he let some of his inner storm enter his gaze. Stella gulped.

"Oh, no, I did come. I came. It was very, er, nice. Thank you."

Liar . He could feel the pinpricks of heat dusting his own cheeks when she had the balls to stick out a hand for him to shake. His nostrils flared and he glared at her hand until she let it drop to her side.

"Anyway." Stella cleared her throat. "You'll have to go now. I've got to go soon and need to clean up. It's pretty important, and I don't want to be late."

They both looked at the mantle clock Stella cocked a thumb too. The second hand was failing to round the seven.

"Are you sure you're not late already?"

Her blush intensified. "It's only ever a minute or two behind," she defended. Most of the time. "About you going?"

Raphael was tempted to insist he stay but resisted. He had his own plans to attend to. "I look forward to our next lesson," he said, and wiped her wetness from his chin and into his mouth. Raphael watched in delight as her blush intensified. "Until then," he grunted and left.

Stella hadn't completely lied to Raphael about having plans. She did with the Vranas, and she didn't want to be late for it. They just weren't meeting until much, much later in the evening. Which had given her the night to agonize over her epic failure.

Her second, technically.

First, she hadn't gotten into the Lunar Court.

And now, that very evening, she'd botched her attempt at Operation Seduction. She'd intended to nick Raphael while he was lost to the throws of passion with her nail scissors. Instead, she was the one seduced.

Stella groaned. She'd been so close too! The small pair of scissors had been in her hand and Raphael had been right there !

Damn him.

She thought she could hold out. Instead, she'd given in and relinquished all control to him and the pleasure he'd delved out. Then his hand had wandered far too close to her soulmark and slapped Stella back to reality. She wasn't ready for him to learn that secret yet. If she was honest with herself, she didn't know if she ever would be.

She was lucky he hadn't spotted the scissors abandoned on the couch. Her abrupt dismissal no doubt played a part in her luck.

This is a dangerous game.

Stella bit her lip, approaching the Vranas' suite with more haste to her steps. She needed to play things out smarter with Raphael. Her plan with the scissors was haphazard at best, and it had turned out disastrously. She only hoped she could pull it together sooner rather than later to rid herself of Raphael's bothersome presence.

Arriving minutes later, Stella's fist rapped on the Vranas' door. A moment later, it swung open.

"Hi," Ruby greeted whilst grabbing Stella's arm and dragging her inside. "Did you hear what happened? Jax is positively fuming."

Stella gave a little wave to the few who sat in the main receiving room, allowing Ruby to pull her onto the couch next to her. No one acknowledged the greeting.

"Don't take offense, they've been going at it for a while." Ruby let the sleeve of her sharp navy blazer fall back to peer at the watch on her wrist. "27 minutes, exactly."

Jakob, Sebastian, and Jax spoke over one another, leaving Stella without a clue as to what they were arguing about. She glanced at Ruby. "What happened earlier?"

Ruby's eyes widened. "You really didn't hear?"

Stella shook her head. She had wanted to avoid any possible run-ins with Raphael, so she'd chosen to stay in and read.

"I would have one of the men tell you but seeing as they're all biased in their point of views —" Disagreements rumbled from the men at Ruby's loud observation. "— I'll tell you instead. Two things happened earlier tonight. Well, three, I suppose. The incident in question took place due to a misunderstanding."

Jax snorted at her explanation and Ruby shot him a withering glare.

"I wasn't finished," she scolded him before turning her attention back to Stella sans glare. "As you might be aware, the Medici are in the final stages petitioning to become a minor household, a feat we have leant our support to."

"Everyone at court knows that," Stella said.

Ruby smiled sadly. "Yes, they do, which makes the blowback from the incident more, er, challenging to navigate." Her smile waned as she twisted to face Stella fully. "Tonight, they were prepared to submit their petition. However, it somehow became apparent to them that it had been tampered with—magically."

"Oh no." Stella's gaze drew to Jax instinctively. He was staring daggers at the coffee table's centerpiece, a raven statuette. "Do they know who did it?"

"The Veles clan, or so they claim. They're masters of magic of deceit and trickery," Ruby explained.

"But they primarily practice terramancy. The Veles clan has an affinity for magic of the earth , particularly stones and crystals. Half the amulets in this court are produced by the Veles clan and they make a happy sum from their work. Why would they interfere in the Medicis' petition? It wouldn't affect them in the slightest," Jax argued with passion.

"Can't the Veles just undo it—if they even did it, that is," Stella hurried to add on as Jax turned his mutinous stare her way.

"The documents were destroyed," Jakob supplied. "By the Veles."

"Oh." A frown appeared on Stella's brow. "Wait, so did they tamper with the petition or destroy it?"

"There's speculation over the former, however, the Veles did destroy the petition," Jakob explained.

" After they were wrongly accused of tampering," Jax supplied with mounting heat in his voice. "And—"

"No, no more ‘ands' or ‘buts'; I haven't even finished telling the story," Ruby insisted. Stella watched as Jax visibly curbed his tongue, his jaw locking and a little vein popping up near his temple. "As I was saying, the Medici made their discovery and immediately went in search of the Veles clan. Someone directed them to the Commons on the sixth subfloor, and the Medici ended up intercepting them on their way back upstairs. The fallout was rather immediate."

"They fought?" Stella ventured a guess.

"They argued," Ruby corrected. "And their argument drew a crowd which only heightened emotions. I'm sure a wrath demon or two was involved. They have no restraint."

"Now whose bias is tainting the story?"

The line of Ruby's shoulders stiffened at Jax's bitter comment, but she kept her focus on Stella. "Things were escalating when an unexpected party arrived to diffuse the matter." Ruby swallowed and glanced away. "But their good intentions had the opposite effect."

Stella's heart dropped to the floor. "Who?" Silence greeted her question. Oh Gods… Stella placed her hand tentatively over Ruby's. "Was it Nova? Is she—"

"No," Ruby blurted out, her gaze jumping up to meet Stella's. "Nova is doing damage control with Briar right now. I'll be joining them soon, but I wanted to be here when you arrived and to make sure these three didn't come to blows."

"I take offense to that," Sebastian said.

"I second that," Jax muttered.

"Third," Jakob replied dryly.

Ruby's posture softened. "It was Irina." A chill brushed over Stella's skin. The hairs on her arms rose as the atmosphere turned grave.

"I thought she wasn't making social calls. Why was she down there?"

Jakob cleared his throat. "She hasn't, but her confinement is taxing in many aspects. She was to dine with a small group of vampyré privately on the fourth subfloor. I'm not sure how or why she ended up down there, except by some strange coincidence."

Despite his cool demeanor, Stella felt waves of unrest coming off Jakob.

"What happened?"

"From what we've gathered, Irina was doing a magnificent job getting both parties to back down. She promised Ramsey that the clan would face no punishment until concrete evidence was presented, which placated the sorcerers." Stella nodded along as if she knew who Ramsey was other than a Veles sorcerer. "But the Medici were less amiable to her charms… and so she accidentally used her new charms to persuade them. That's when things got messy."

"Oh dear," she uttered. Her hand tightened around Ruby's. "But nobody got hurt right?" Stella's ears prickled with the answering quiet. "Right?"

"It was an oversight on our part to limit Irina's interaction with courtiers," Sebastian voiced as he wandered over to the L-shaped couch from the fireplace. "If we had made more of an effort to put her in controlled environments where she might learn to manage her new abilities, perhaps—"

"We cannot undo the past," Jakob said in a voice reminiscent of distant thunder. He locked his sights on Sebastian, who stopped his approach at once. "Irina's struggled heavily these past few months. It was unwise to allow her to roam free—"

"I didn't suggest she roam freely," Sebastian interjected, a terse note to his voice. Stella got the impression it wasn't the first time the pair had had this conversation. "I proposed she be introduced to controlled environments with our allies . For months, you've been the subject of her demonic feedings and, at times, her vampyré nature. It cannot last, Jakob. You are weaker because of it—" Jakob growled. "—and your weakness is ours. Something must change."

"He's right," Jax said before Jakob could make his rebuttal. "You can't afford to be weak. None of us can. Not after what happened. They will cut us down and bathe in our blood if they think they can get away with it."

Jakob bristled, going rigid in his seat. "And who would dare voice such treasonous slander?"

"No one needs to." Ruby didn't withhold her exasperation. "It's obvious , Jakob."

Stella jolted in alarm as Jakob slammed his hands on the chair's armrest and almost lunged out of his chair. His normally cool blue eyes were stained a rich red as he bared his fangs at Ruby. Stella flinched and squeezed Ruby's hand in a death grip. The petite vampyré heaved a sigh, easily removed Stella's hand from her person, and then leaned toward Jakob.

"You know it's true. There's no point in getting upset. We need to plan our next moves and you—" Ruby directed her gaze back to Stella. "We need you to do your part too."

Stella nodded vigorously; Ruby's meaning abundantly clear.

Jakob reared back in his seat. A hand covered half his face as he collected himself with several deep breaths. "Stella, might you go upstairs and check on my soulmark?"

"Of course!"

Stella took off like a colt released from its pen, nearly stumbling over herself, and cursing the high heels she wore. Once upstairs, she hesitated. She wasn't entirely familiar with the Vrana's massive apartment suite but thankfully, Irina's voice carried down the hall. Stella followed the sound and came to a door made of dark cherry wood. After a single knock, Deval opened the door. The beginnings of dark circles hugged the bottom of his eyes, and his hair was a tousled mess.

"Hey, Stella." He offered her a wane smile. "Come on in."

Stella's eyes grew in gradual increments as she took in the lavish space. Her breath caught as she locked onto the giant windows that spanned across the other side of the bedroom. She took a tentative step toward it. Unlike downstairs, the curtains were drawn back, giving a clear view of the sky and the rising sun painting the clouds pink and brilliant orange.

Yearning struck Stella like an arrow to the heart.

"Have you come to sing me your song, like your aunt once before?"

Stella's head whipped to the side. Irina sat on the end of her bed, features downcast and hands clutching the pearly white duvet beneath her.

"I came to check on you." Stella stepped further into the room. River stood a few feet off to the side of her aunt, arms crossed, and bottom lip being assaulted by her gnawing teeth. "They said there was an incident."

"You didn't hear?" Shock permeated Irina's voice. She cast her niece and Deval hopeful glances. "Maybe it's not as bad as we—"

"I've been in my room all night actually," Stella interrupted, and Irina deflated. "Ruby caught me up downstairs, but she didn't finish. She said the Medicis' petition was compromised by magic and that they confronted the Veles clan about it." She shifted her gaze briefly to Irina. "Then she said you came along and calmed everyone down until something happened with your powers."

The blonde tribred offered up a self-deprecating smile. "Something most certainly happened. I ate Ramsey."

Stella's mouth dropped open. "Pardon?" she breathed out. "You... you ate him?"

"The Veles started to attack the Medici and destroyed their petition in the process. You had every right to defend yourself after they took aim at you too, Aunt Irina."

Spying Deval moving closer to her side, Stella candidly said, "I think I'm still missing pieces of the story. When and why did the Veles attack? What did Irina's powers have to do with it?"

"Her powers of persuasion became a bit heavy-handed. Instead of calming the situation down, she ended up riling a few of the Medici who stood too close," Deval explained.

"Riled up?" Irina's voice went high. "Andrea tried to grope me, as did Francesca!"

Deval coughed to cover his embarrassed cringe before continuing. "Anyway, the Veles took offense on Irina's behalf and attacked the Medici. But in the crosshairs of it all, the Medici's papers caught fire and literally went up in flames."

Stella's stomach roiled as she shifted her gaze to Irina. "And then you… ate Ramsey?"

To Stella's amazement, little pink spots dotted Irina's cheekbones.

"I attacked because I was attacked." She gestured to the ruined sleeve of her top. The sheer fabric boasted a singed hole, but the skin beneath was merely an irritated red. "And because I smelled blood in the air." Irina buried her face in her hands and let out a cry of frustration. "I couldn't control myself. I went after the first person I saw, which was Ramsey, and tore him apart."

" Literally? " questioned Stella with caution.

Irina's whimpered reply, combined with the slumping of her shoulders, was all the confirmation Stella needed. Her hands fell from her face into her lap to reveal her tortured expression.

"Now the sorcerer edict will remain in place for Gods know how much longer because the Veles practiced magic in a public space and the Medici lost their chance at becoming a Minor Household. It's all my fault."

"It wasn't your fault," Stella said with surprising sternness. "You didn't tamper with their petition. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Jax is furious," Irina lamented. "Sebastian's stoic approach is setting everyone off and Jakob is—" Irina paused to tame the slight tremor creeping into her voice. "—understandably upset. And I'm… hungry. Constantly . I can't control myself," Irina confessed in a hoarse whisper.

"Maybe with some practice in a controlled environment?" Stella parroted Sebastian's earlier suggestion, but Irina shook her head.

"You don't understand. It's more than just a matter of control. My very nature is in constant conflict with itself. I can't live like this much longer." Irina's eyes shuttered closed for a moment. "Maybe it's a blessing the special committee moved up my timeline."

Stella's spine drew straight as a pin. "Wait, what?"

River grabbed a piece of paper from a nearby chaise. She waved it in the air before dropping it back down. "They sent a missive about an hour ago. Because of Irina's actions, we have until the end of the month to reverse the curse, or they'll put her down themselves."

Stella's heart skipped a beat. "But it's the thirteenth!" She did the math quickly. "That means we only have eighteen nights to—"

"That means," Irina cut in, locking eyes with Stella. "Getting a sample of demon blood is paramount. Between damage control and decoding that hellish grimoire, our hands are tied. We need your help, now more than ever, Stella. I need it. The fate of our family depends on it because if I'm taken out of the equation…"

Everything would implode.

Jakob would lose his mind if he lost Irina. Then what would happen to the rest of the family? Stella swallowed the lump in her throat as anxiety knotted up her muscles.

There was far more at stake than her gaining a place in the Vrana Household. Her closest friends' lives hung in the balance.

"I have a plan," Stella said, voice quiet but sure as her mind latched onto an idea. "I'll get you the blood you need before the end of the month. I promise."