Chapter 7Ivan

7

Ivan

I van stared into the incubus's strange violet eyes. He smelled of spice and oddly sweet smoke, as he always did. Even in his human form, Nix was otherworldly. Too alluring by half, and he knew it.

Ivan should have kicked him out the moment he'd arrived.

But something about Nix waltzing into his office, despite Ivan's strict instructions to remain at the apartment, had thrown Ivan for a loop. He was used to being feared, even by those who claimed to love him. And yet Nix hadn't so much as allowed Ivan to chastise him.

So Ivan had let Nix stay, and now the demon was asking for a fucking kiss.

Give him an inch and he'd take a mile.

Ivan had been drunk that other night when he'd pressed their lips together—not anywhere near a right state of mind. He'd been compelled against reason and unable to stop himself. But today? Now ?

He'd been doing so well too. There had been enough loose ends after Sascha and Kai had taken down the Carusos that Ivan had been able to bury himself in work, keeping the incubus at arm's length. If Ivan didn't look at him, or touch him, or smell him, he could manage.

He should have known it wouldn't last.

When Sascha had come by and dropped off the Book two weeks ago, he'd told Ivan he seemed to be coming apart at the seams.

And, hell, maybe Sascha was right.

Because, in spite of all his better judgment, Ivan found himself tugging Nix's head down and claiming his mouth, forcing his own tongue in the moment they made contact. There would be no chaste press of lips this time. Ivan was going to lick all the mocking words right out of Nix's mouth, suck the sass off his tongue, until he was as mindless as he'd made Ivan.

But Nix only moaned, sliding off the arm of the seat and onto Ivan's lap, his hands delving into Ivan's hair as he deepened the kiss. With that single touch, all the blood rushed to Ivan's dick, and he was hard faster than he'd ever been in his life.

It was some sort of demon magic. It had to be. Sex wasn't like this for Ivan. Sex was a release. An occasionally inconvenient necessity. It was never all-consuming. No attraction had ever haunted Ivan's mind the way his attraction to this demon did.

How did one exorcise a demon like this? Ivan had only one idea—as Nix battled him for dominance, exploring Ivan's mouth like he owned it—and Ivan knew it was a bad one.

He jerked Nix back by his ponytail, breaking the kiss, ignoring Nix's frustrated whine. "Are you still hungry?" he asked, hating how raspy his voice came out.

The demon had claimed he fed on lust and desire. It could have been bullshit, but if it wasn't …

Nix's eyes lit with some inner fire as his tongue swept over his lower lip. "Famished."

"Suck me off," Ivan ordered. The damning words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, and Nix's answering grin was smug enough to torment.

"Yes, master," he purred.

Such a little shit. But even if the words were taunting, Nix's actions weren't. He slid off Ivan's lap onto the floor in one graceful movement, eager fingers unbuckling Ivan's belt in an instant.

Ivan leaned back, his hands clenching on the arms of his chair. He had the crazed thought that if he let go, even for a moment, he might do something unforgivably stupid—like tug the incubus back onto his lap and rip off all his clothes, press himself into that lithe body, and never come up for air.

Nix would let him too. He'd let Ivan fuck him for days on end if he wanted to.

It was possible Nix would let Ivan do anything he desired.

It was a fucking dangerous thought.

So Ivan kept his hands where they were, his gaze burning into the incubus's absurdly beautiful face.

There was a man kneeling at Ivan's feet. A man about to suck his cock.

Except it wasn't a man at all—it was Nix, the infuriating demon seemingly sent from hell to torment Ivan. Like he was a test Ivan was destined to fail.

Ivan's hands clenched tighter on their armrests as Nix pulled him out of his slacks. Ivan's cock was fully hard, his foreskin retracted back far enough to reveal the angry red tip.

"Oh my." Nix peered up at him with heavy-lidded eyes, his hands sliding up Ivan's thighs. "Haven't we been blessed?"

Ivan's lower belly clenched. How fucking stupid, to fall prey to idle flattery. "None of your teasing," he growled. "I want your mouth. Now. "

"Who's teasing?" Nix countered, but he lowered his mouth and sucked gently on the head of Ivan's cock, licking all around the tip like he was feasting on an ice cream cone. Even with that taunting touch, his mouth was an inferno, hotter than any Ivan had ever had before. It should have burned—should have hurt— but it only made heat lick up Ivan's spine.

Nix raised his head and grinned up at Ivan. "Like this, master?"

Ivan gritted his teeth. "Deeper."

"Oops." Nix stroked along the inside of Ivan's thighs, as if in apology. As if he wasn't tormenting Ivan on purpose. "My mistake."

He lowered his head again, swallowing down more than half of Ivan's cock, but he didn't use any suction. He only held Ivan in his mouth, raising his brows. Ivan could hear the question without it being asked: Like this?

" Suck ," Ivan ordered, the command coming out like a curse.

Nix hollowed his cheeks immediately, impudent and merciless. Holy fucking shit. Ivan groaned, his eyes slamming shut and his head thumping against the back of his chair.

That heavenly suction stopped.

Ivan opened his eyes to find Nix staring up at him again, those plush lips stretched around Ivan's cock, completely motionless. His ears were rounded in his human form. Ivan found himself missing the strange pointed shape. He cursed, grabbing Nix's hair and winding it around his fist. He tugged. Hard. "Keep going."

He wanted it to be an order, but it came out like a plea.

Either way, Nix popped off his cock instead, grinning up at him. "Show me." He placed his hand over Ivan's fist in his hair, encouraging. "Show me how you want it."

Ivan wondered if this was Nix's way of keeping him present. So Ivan wouldn't be able to close his eyes and pretend it was some woman kneeling on his office floor, sucking him into oblivion.

As if Ivan could. The incubus was all he could picture every time he closed his eyes. Every night since he'd summoned him, images of him had danced through Ivan's brain, taunting and tormenting.

Maybe that was the price of giving up a piece of his soul.

Maybe he should have read the fine print before making that bargain.

He tugged once more on Nix's hair, and Nix's eyes grew hooded again. Ivan remembered Nix claiming Ivan would be vicious in bed.

"You want me to hurt you?" he asked.

Nix tutted at him, his hands sliding down to Ivan's knees. "You can't hurt me, Ivan."

Just as the incubus couldn't harm Ivan under the contract. So it went both ways, then. Neither of them could hurt the other. But…no. That was a dangerous thought to give in to. Ivan knew better, didn't he?

Either way, it wasn't the time. If the demon wanted him to let go, Ivan would let go.

Ivan tugged Nix again by the hair, reveling in the sharp gasp Nix let out, pulling him up onto his dick. Nix moaned around his cock, hollowing his cheeks again and sucking like his life depended on it, like he was rewarding Ivan for losing control.

His hands landed on Ivan's hips, encouraging.

He wanted Ivan to fuck his mouth.

As if Ivan had the strength left to refuse. "Tap my hip if you need to breathe."

Nix popped off him again, ignoring Ivan's responding glare. "Oh, Vanya, baby," he crooned. "You think I need a silly little thing like oxygen?"

Ivan's balls tightened. Fuck. This demon was going to be the death of him, wasn't he?

He tugged Nix back down, thrusting his hips up at the same time. It was unlike anything he'd felt before—that damned heat, the tight constriction of Nix's throat. Nix didn't gag, only moaned again, the sound muffled by Ivan's dick.

Ivan meant to close his eyes, to focus on the feel of it. But he couldn't look away as he fucked Nix's mouth.

Nix didn't gag, but he was sloppy.

The demon was a slutty mess, moaning and licking and sucking with no shame, or at least as best he could around Ivan's sharp tugs of his hair and ruthless thrusts of his hips. He looked turned on beyond belief, his hands tight on Ivan's hips, his eyes both hazy and hot.

He looked like he was the one getting sucked off.

Ivan was used to blow jobs being perfunctory. The women he fucked wanted a taste of power, maybe, or a chance to say they'd sucked off a mob boss. They'd never acted like getting a mouthful of Ivan's cock was the key to all their desires.

They'd never given Ivan permission to be brutal. To be harsh. To lose himself in them.

"Stop," Ivan ordered hoarsely when Nix had him too close to the edge.

Nix stopped, his cheeks still hollowed, and somehow Ivan could feel his pout.

"I want to come on your face." Ivan was beyond the point of caring how much he may have been admitting. The depths of his obsession he might be revealing.

Nix pulled off slowly—so fucking slowly—and his puffy, abused lips curled into a grin. "Of course you do," he purred, his voice throaty and hoarse. "You want my hands, baby?"

Jesus. "No." Ivan shut his eyes. Cleared his throat. Opened them again. "Just…sit still."

Nix sat back on his knees obediently, although his hands slid from Ivan's hips back onto his thighs, petting lightly over Ivan's slacks.

Ivan stroked himself furiously, his balls already high and tight from the aching pleasure of Nix's mouth. Nix watched him. Or, more accurately, Nix watched Ivan's dick, gazing at it longingly, like he already wanted it back in his mouth.

"Look at me ," Ivan ordered, wishing he had his hands in Nix's hair again, to control his movements the way he wanted.

But apparently he didn't need it. Purple eyes met his in an instant, and Nix's lips curled up again. "That's it, Vanya, baby," he crooned. "Give it me, hm? Cover me with it. I've been so good for you, haven't I? I deserve a taste."

" Fuck ." Ivan groaned through his release, his thighs trembling and his vision going dark at the edges as he fought to keep his eyes open, to watch his hot cum spurting onto Nix's face, covering his cheeks, his lashes, his wicked fucking mouth.

Ivan's demon. Claimed by him. Marked as his property.

Fuck.

What was wrong with him?

Nix licked at his lips immediately, his eyes still on Ivan's. He hummed, like he was savoring the flavor. His sweet, smoky scent was everywhere, fogging Ivan's brain.

Ivan slumped back into his chair, panting hard. "Fuck. Fuck ."

He sat there, limp and boneless, as Nix scooped every bit of Ivan's cum off his face, sucking his fingers clean lazily, watching Ivan all the while. When he was done, he laid his cheek on Ivan's knee, peering up at him. "Are you going to freak out on me now?" he asked softly, nonjudgmental, as if either answer would be acceptable.

Ivan rubbed a hand down his face. "Why would I?" he asked, grateful his voice had returned to some sort of normalcy. "You were hungry. I was…"

"Horny?" Nix supplied.

Ivan narrowed his eyes. "In need of release."

"And do you feel better now?"

Ivan did. And he didn't. It had been the fiercest orgasm of his life, and it still hadn't been enough. Ivan could already tell what he'd see when he closed his eyes tonight. Nix. Always Nix.

Was Ivan going to have to fuck this demon to get him out of his system?

Nix's face softened into a look of deep understanding. "Poor baby," he crooned sympathetically.

He rose slowly from the floor before sliding his knees onto Ivan's chair, allowing ample time for Ivan to push him away.

Ivan didn't. He let Nix back onto his lap. He let Nix kiss him, let him bite into Ivan's lower lip. Ivan deepened the kiss and licked the taste of his own cum out of Nix's mouth.

An eternity later, Nix leaned back, his gaze assessing.

Ivan stared back at him. "You're filthy," he told him, wanting it to come out as an admonishment, but only too aware he sounded fond and indulgent.

"I am." Nix grinned at him. He was clearly hard in his leather pants, but he made no move to address it. "It drives you crazy, doesn't it, darling?"

Ivan didn't even know what they were talking about anymore—the blow job, the filth, Nix himself. But he gave the only answer he could. "Yes."

Ivan worked for a few hours more, Nix curled up—suspiciously docile—on his office couch. Ivan had promised Sascha a job managing one of his less nefarious clubs, so he was taking the steps necessary to facilitate that change.

He needed to find a new Sergei soon. This was too much grunt work for the head of the organization to be indulging in.

For his part, Nix seemed happy enough to watch Ivan, only asking occasional questions about the business. He had the sleepy, contented air of a cat who'd just had his cream. It sent a strange, warm thrill through Ivan. He'd fed his incubus—had given Nix exactly what he'd been craving—and he hadn't even needed to touch him to do it.

Except Ivan wanted to touch him.

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. Surely such thoughts were a sign of an overworked brain.

Nix perked up immediately at the change, prowling over and setting himself on the arm of Ivan's chair again. It felt too right to have him there—like that was his place, at Ivan's side. Within arm's reach.

Ivan glanced up at him blankly, determined to focus on business. "You sussed out the intentions of a few of my men," he began.

"I did."

"You could get a read on the rest?"

"I could," Nix told him, sounding approving, like Ivan was a student who was finally following along.

Ivan let out a long breath. That was a powerful skill in a world as treacherous as his. "Maybe you are a boon, then," he mused. "Maybe you weren't just sent here to curse me."

Nix's lips twitched with amusement. "Why not both?"

It was the fatigue that made Ivan grin.

Nix latched onto his weakness immediately, as if one little smile was a sign that Ivan would indulge him. "Why are you so determined not to fuck men?" he asked, like that was an appropriate change of subject.

"It's not a matter of being determined. It's never been an issue before."

It hadn't. Ivan didn't look at the men who worked for him and ache to bend them over his desk. He'd never been tempted by the clubs Sascha and Alexei frequented. He supposed, if he thought hard about it…maybe there'd been a pretty face now and then. Those effeminate men who'd mastered a particular sort of allure .

Although, Sascha would probably tell him his phrasing was offensive.

But Ivan had always liked fucking women. Maybe none of them had compared to Nix's mouth on his cock, but Ivan had desired them at the time. He liked their soft bodies and sweet smell. The warm, wet feel of them on his cock.

None of them as warm as Nix.

Nix pinched Ivan's shoulder, his eyes narrowed. "Trying to make me jealous, Vanyechka?"

Ivan cocked his head, suspicious. "Tell me truthfully—do you read minds?" It was a horrifying prospect.

"No," Nix admitted with a pout. "But I catch glimpses sometimes. Images. Especially if they have to do with desire."

"But you can read intent. As you did with my men."

"To an extent."

Ivan was tempted to ask what Nix read in him, but he already knew he wouldn't want to hear the answer. He'd worked hard his whole life to be unreadable—to not let his father see any cracks in his armor, to not let the men under him see the strain in his leadership. It had been the only way to survive.

And now he'd let in the one creature his defenses didn't work on.

Sascha had been right—Ivan was coming apart at the seams.

Out of nowhere, Nix hopped off his chair, beckoning with one hand. "Come. You're not spending the night in the office."

Ivan glanced at his watch. "It's only five p.m."

"That's when normal humans stop working, isn't it? There's a whole song about it. Something about nine to five."

"Why would you possibly know about that?"

"The Void was very boring."

The Void. Where Nix had come from and where he would return when their contract was done. Ivan ignored the ice-cold rush of panic in his gut. It wasn't about Nix, not really. Ivan just didn't like it when the things promised him were taken away.

But no matter. Ivan's terms had been vague. He wasn't sure if the contract would ever be complete.

The thought almost made him smile again.

"All right. Take me home, demon." Ivan got on the intercom, instructing Tara to have Oleg pull to the front.

Nix cocked a hip in his ridiculous leather pants, a sly grin on his lips. "You sure you don't want me on my knees again before we go?"

Ivan scowled as he stood from his chair. "That was a one-time event."

Nix gaped at him, looking genuinely put out. "Are you serious right now?"

Ivan sighed. "I don't—"

"Fuck men. Yes, yes." Nix rolled his eyes. "Sing me a new one, master ."

He turned on his heel, giving Ivan his back and striding toward the elevator, seeming not to care whether Ivan followed or not.

Apparently even an incubus had his limits with rejection.

Not that Ivan cared. So what if he'd hurt the demon's feelings? There were worse things in the world than a bruised ego. It was best to remember that.

They went down the elevator together, and Nix stayed silent, his gaze focused straight ahead.

They approached the front desk. There was the security guard with a deliveryman leaning over his desk, a package next to his hand.

Ivan had only a moment to sense something was off.

The security guard cried out, and Ivan was already reaching for his gun when the deliveryman raised his, firing two shots straight at Ivan .

Ivan prepared himself for the bite of a bullet, hoping against the odds he'd be hit in the shoulder and not the chest.

He knew better.

Would Alexei and Sascha mourn him? Or would they rejoice that their wicked, wayward brother finally met the end he deserved?

A flash of red, and there was Nix in front of Ivan, taking the bullet meant for him. He grunted on impact, falling back against Ivan.

Ivan caught him with an arm around his middle and fired his gun with his other hand, but his aim was impaired by the demon in his hold. The fake deliveryman was out the door in an instant.

Ivan should chase after him. He shouldn't let him get away.

But how could he, when Nix was bleeding in his arms?

Whoever the man had been, he wouldn't be able to stay hidden for long. It didn't matter how long it took, how many heads Ivan had to crack. Ivan would find him.

He'd shot Ivan's demon.

His life was already forfeit.