Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

EVEREST

I’m practically bouncing in my chair while we’re eating breakfast. Well, as much as my sore ass will allow me. Raven fucked me so good and hard, I’m still flying high. It was just what I needed and the twinge in my ass now is exactly what I need to stay grounded in the present.

We’re going to Xendail today. I try to hide the nerves and excitement, but I’m sure Raven can feel it.

He grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze. “Excited?”

I smile at him before I stuff eggs into my mouth. “Very. I can’t wait to see where you live. Your treehouse sounds intriguing.”

Raven gives me a patient smile. We’ve talked about where he lives before. I can’t wrap my mind around a house growing out of a tree, so I’m interested in seeing it. “Yes, I think you will like my treehouse.”

It only takes a few more minutes to finish breakfast. Raven stuffs me in the shower before we leave. We took one last night, but he only wiped me down with a cloth after sex. He takes his time washing me now. If I didn’t like his hands on me so much, I would have complained about it. But fuck, anytime Raven touches me I get turned on.

My cock sticks straight out from my hips, almost poking him in the face when he gets on his knees to wash my lower legs and feet. He looks up at me with a soft expression and draws my dick into his mouth, sucking me down and making me come in under two minutes.

“That is to hold you over until I can get you in my bed in Xendail,” he says, giving my crown one last lick and standing to his feet. He has to help me out of the shower because, even with that simple blow job, I’m fucking wiped from the force of my orgasm.

When I’m clean and sated, Raven dries me off and gets me dressed.

He holds my hands while we stand in the middle of the bedroom, his black eyes bright. “Are you ready, baby?”

I nod frantically, not able to wipe the smile from my face. “Yes. What do I need to do?” Over my excitement, nerves dance. “Will it hurt?”

“No. Not at all. Close your eyes. Do not open them until I tell you to.”

Nodding, I blow out a deep breath and close my eyes. Raven says a string of words in that hauntingly beautiful language of his, and I feel a rush of hot air around me. My hair whips around my face and my clothes are buffeted with the breeze. I duck my head, trying to pull in a full breath, but the wind is blowing too fast. Not knowing what else to do, I hold my breath, figuring the trip can’t take too long.

Just when I think I’ll suffocate, the blowing wind stops, and my hair settles on my head. Still, I don’t open my eyes because Raven hasn’t told me to. I’m dying to look around, but I trust him to tell me when it’s safe.

A few seconds later, Raven squeezes my hands, but they feel … strange. Other .

“Open your eyes, baby.”

Pulling in a deep breath that feels different in my lungs, I do what he says and gasp, taking a step back, a hand flying to my chest.

Raven is in his demon form and holy shit, what a sight he is. Tall, really tall. So tall I have to crane my neck to look up at him. And he’s spectacular. His red and gold skin reflects off the sun— is it the sun, since we’re in hell? His horns are prominent and bold, not winking out of existence like they do on Earth. That tail that brought me so much pleasure last night whips around his ankle, wrapping around once. His fingers felt different because they reverted back to his demon form when I had my eyes closed.

The wide expanse of his chest mesmerizes me, his dark nipples pebbled in the warm air. God, I’ll never get enough of his body, those firm pecs and rock hard abs. But now, they’re even more impressive on his big body.

He holds still, letting me assess him. Slowly, I take a step closer and touch his torso. His skin is hotter, but not unpleasantly so. God, Raven is fine as fuck like this.

Stepping into his body, I tip my head all the way back to look at him. “Raven. You look so good in this form. I almost forgot how tall you really are.”

He chuckles, the sound deeper here than it is on Earth, almost echoing around us. “I told you I was closer to seven feet tall.” He lowers himself, kissing my forehead. “That will take some getting used to while we are here.” Threading his fingers through mine, he tugs me forward. “Come. I will show you my treehouse.”

I laugh and hurry behind him. I look around, trying to take in my surroundings. We’re in some sort of clearing with trees all around us. It looks like any other forest on Earth, but there’s an almost majestic quality to them. I can’t tell what, but they look otherworldly.

Of course they do. We’re in another world.

“This,” Raven says, gesturing around us, “is my father’s back yard. It is the only place to enter and exit this plane in this sector. He is not here at the moment, or he would have greeted us.”

My eyes are peeled wide as I try to take everything in. Other than the faint haze that hangs over everything, it looks almost like Earth. It wouldn’t be hard to integrate into this world.

Am I considering it? Not sure. I’ve only been here for a few minutes. But it wouldn’t be a hardship.

We exit a break in the hazy trees and step onto what I can only describe as a dirt road. “This is the high road that leads to the center of Xendail. Walk with me, baby. Let me show you my home.”

With a wide grin, I grip his much larger and very different hand harder. “Let’s go.”

It doesn’t take us long to get to the city proper, Raven keeping up a running commentary the entire time. Before we get too close to what I think is a main road, Raven stops me and tips my chin up. “You must know,” he says, a smile twitching his lips, “that here in Xendail, our carnal desires do not stop in the bedroom as they do on Earth. We take pleasure in the open, under the sky.”

I raise an eyebrow at him when his meaning becomes clear. “You fuck outside?”

He laughs and nods. “We do.”

“Where are the kids? Are there demon children?”

“Yes. They are on dimension one. Those that want families live there, though our children reach adulthood at ten human years. No young ones witness our desires for one another.” Raven steps closer to him, his extremely large cock brushing against my belly. “Will you allow me to show all those in Xendail how I feel about you?”

I bark a laugh, even though my cock is standing at attention. “Maybe another time. I’m not sure I’m into exhibitionism just yet.”

He nods, taking my hand. “When you are ready, I will show you just how good it can feel to be free with your love and affection.” I shiver at the implications. “Come. I will show you my home. Then you can meet Phoenix and his mate. They will love you.”

Raven pulls me along. We make a turn off the road to the city, and I’m immediately greeted with what Raven warned me about. Two demons are against the trunk of a tree, fucking each other’s brains out. They’re in doggy position, the one in the back with his teeth clamped on the shoulder of the other.

It’s nothing to Raven. He just walks past like this is an ordinary day for him, while I can’t stop staring open-mouthed at the display. My cock strains against my sweatpants. Maybe I’ll change my mind about letting him take me out in the open if it’s as hot as those demons make it look.

As I peer around, I notice how everything looks so much like Earth, but also different. The more I look around, the more I like it. There are plenty of demons walking here and there, going about their business. It looks so normal here. There are what look like pop-up shops, demons haggling over prices in Xendailish. I can just make out what looks like a park up ahead, a large lake at its center.

We turn off the main road, and Raven points off in the distance. “Here is where I live.”

All I see are two large trees in the distance. Too large for an ordinary forest. Maybe something out of Joshua Tree National Park.

I yelp and laugh when Raven scoops me into his arms, running flat out to his treehouse. I wrap my arms around his neck, giggling against his warm skin. The wind whips across my face, feeling surprisingly good. Like Raven said, the temperature here is perfect, neither too hot nor too cold.

It takes about ten or so seconds before Raven slows to a walk. Now I see what he means. “A treehouse,” I breath as I take it in.

The house is grown out of the tree. It’s like the interior of the tree has been carved out and in its place is the inside of what a typical house would look like. There’s a legit window in the tree, and I can see through it. There are regular human furnishings—a couch, an end table, and a dining room set. He even has a bookshelf.

He sets me down on my feet, and I squeal as I walk inside. The door is made out of the wood of the tree, opening on silent hinges. My mouth falls open when I step inside. It’s so fucking beautiful. I spin around, taking it all in. The walls of the house are made of bark, but it’s smooth and seamless. The steps that lead up to the second floor are carved out of the interior of the tree, even as the rest of the house is.

Over the mantle, in a handsome frame, is the picture I drew of Raven. My heart skips a beat and swells at his display. I knew he sent it to his home, but I didn’t know he had it mounted in a frame.

It’s fucking perfect here.

“Raven, I love it,” I say as I continue to look around. “It’s great. How was it made?”

He steps up behind me, wrapping his arms around my middle. I hold on to his forearms, the strong muscles hard under my palms.

After planting a kiss on my cheek, he says, “Our architects ask for our vision and we tell them what we want. They have skills in magic that helps them shape our homes into what we picture. Since that isn’t the realm of magic I have learned, I cannot explain more than that. Do you want to change it? I can make an appointment so they can get your vision for adjustment.”

“No. It’s perfect how it is.”

He kisses the back of my neck, sending a shiver over my skin and a flutter in my belly. “Come,” he says, taking me by the hand and leading me upstairs. “Let’s shower and get ready for Phoenix.”

My hand in his, I climb the stairs and step into his bathroom. Raven turns the knobs and a literal waterfall shower greets me, the water flowing down into a deep basin. The bathtub of all bathtubs.

I’m going to love it here.

The next morning, I wake up feeling refreshed. Last night was such a good time with Raven’s brother and his mate.

Phoenix and his mate, Beatrice—I’m sure it’s something else in the language they speak but she said that’s what it is in English—are a blast. She’s not a greater demon like him, so she’s much smaller, but still bigger than me. She’s quiet, only asking a few questions, content to listen to us talk. She’s from the fourth dimension, choosing to move to this one after three centuries of being served. I have no idea what that means, but I’m happy for her.

Dinner was the meat that’s close to beef Raven told me about, and it was really good. More gamey than our cows, but very enjoyable. We also had a tuber vegetable that reminded me of mushrooms, and Beatrice made some dessert with sweets only found on Xendail that had me rolling my eyes in the back of my head, it was so good.

They stayed for a few hours, and I had a great time talking to them. It was nice talking to someone that wasn’t from home, that didn’t know my past and didn’t know how I was treated by everyone around me. Though they’re demons and are supposed to be evil creatures, Phoenix and Beatrice treated me with respect and didn’t look down on me.

Humans could learn a thing or two from demons.

After Phoenix and Beatrice left, Raven drug me upstairs to his bed, which was made of the softest material I’ve ever laid on. I asked Raven what it was, but he said the material cannot be translated to Earthen language, therefore hard to explain. I didn’t care what it was, as long as I could keep resting on it. I was dead on my feet, all the excitement catching up to me. Raven tucked me in to his body and we fell asleep.

The morning light streams through the window and I smile. Stretching on the pillow-soft bed, my hand comes in contact with Raven’s hard body. God, he looks so good like this, in his normal, demon form. It suits him. Though him in human form is hot, Raven looks natural like this.

“Good morning, baby,” he mutters, rolling into me, pasting himself to my back. His huge cock nestles between my ass and I moan softly. He truly is much bigger when he’s a demon.

“Good morning, Raven.”

“Did you sleep well?”

I nod, holding on to his arm that’s wrapped around me. “Better than I ever have in Plainsdale. I really love it here.”

“I am glad.” He kisses the back of my neck, breathing me in. “You smell different here. Good. Better than you do on Earth, and you are intoxicating there.” Again, he kisses the back of my neck, his tongue peeking out this time. The forked appendage caresses my skin and I have to bite back a moan. Feels too fucking good for words. I reach back, meaning to thread my fingers through his hair to keep him in place, but my digits bump into one of his horns. I change course, wrapping a hand around it, grasping that strong, pliant part of him.

Raven growls, pressing himself tighter to me, his hand that was around my waist dancing down to grip my cock, jerking me slowly.

“I want you,” he mutters between nipping and licking at me. “Let me show you how I can make you feel in Xendail.”

Flipping to my back, I spread my legs so Raven can settle between them. “Yes, baby. Please.”

We went to bed naked last night, so there’s nothing in the way of his cock brushing against mine. God, he’s so big, so hot and heavy, I almost come with the first drag of his dick over mine.

On Earth, Raven’s come tasted dark and decadent, a forbidden flavor dancing on my tongue. I wonder if he’ll taste different here, on his native plane.

“I want to taste you. Want you in my mouth,” I beg, arching into him and rubbing my dick along his. “Please, baby.”

Raven nods, nibbling on the skin of my throat. “Anything you want my sweet baby.” With one more suck to the tender skin of my throat, he climbs higher on the bed, getting on his knees so he has access to fuck my face. He holds his huge cock to my mouth, rubbing the head over my lips. I purse them, groaning when he rubs his dick in between them. “Open for me, baby. Let me see how much you can take while I am in this form.”

Obediently, I turn my head and open wide, sticking my tongue out for him. Raven groans, gliding his cock over its surface. Thick precome drips onto my tongue, and I close my lips around his crown so I can swallow it down. Fuck, he tastes so fucking good. Even better now that we’re in his home. That dark flavor is still there, but it’s richer here, more intoxicating and more addictive.

Raven hums. “Fuck, baby. Just like that.”

He palms the back of my head, guiding me on his shaft. He thrusts gently inside, pushing more and more of his dick down my throat until I gag around him. I keep sucking, not letting up even when my eyes well with tears and my throat spasms.

His strong hand wraps around my dick, jerking me slowly. Cursing around a mouth full of dick, I push into his hand.

“You are sucking my dick so good,” Raven mutters, stroking me off as I moan around him. “So fucking good. I want to feel that throat working over my cock.” He shoves into my mouth to the point of me gagging again, his hand braced against the front of my throat. “Fuck yes. So good.”

Again and again, he thrusts into my mouth until I gag, his precome mingling with my spit. Raven hums and groans, rubbing his hand through the mess of tears and spit on my face, and I preen under his attention.

Every time Raven pushes his dick in my throat and I gag, my hole clenches, needing to be filled.

“I will take care of you, baby,” Raven groans as he pushes deeper into my mouth. “I know how to make you feel good.”

Something slides up my leg and I jump, snatching my mouth from Raven’s engorged cock. I look down and see his tail drifting up my thigh, disappearing between my cheeks. The soft but pointed head nudges against my hole and I moan, opening my legs wider.

“You want my tail inside you?” He maneuvers it until it’s tapping at my hole. I nod eagerly, bearing down as the tip enters me. I groan around him, looking at him with pleading eyes. “You want more?” Again, I nod eagerly, not able to utter a word. My mouth drops open when his tail pushes deeper into me. “Want me to fuck you with it?”

I reach up and wrap my hand around his dick, stroking it while Raven pushes his tail deeper in my hole. “Yes. Please, yes.”

He wraps his hand around my dick as he pushes into me hard, and I see fucking stars. My hips roll on their own volition, fucking back against his tail and into the circle of his large, three knuckled fist.

Opening wide, I suck Raven in, bobbing up and down on his shaft in earnest. He rest his free hand on the back of my head, pumping into my mouth. I relax my throat, allowing Raven to get most of his dick inside before I’m sputtering and gagging, spit leaking from the sides of my mouth. I don’t let that deter me as I slurp along his cock, wanting to make Raven see the heavens when he orgasms.

A constant stream of moans drift from my lips as Raven’s tail presses against my prostate and his hand pumps me off.

Raven curses in his native language, his body vibrating above me. “I am close. Fuck, baby, your mouth. It feels so fucking good. I cannot hold back.”

He drives his tail into me, nudging my prostate almost to the point of pain. My eyes roll to the back of my head, and I tremble as he jerks me harder and fucks me deeper. His hand is tight in my hair as his hips press forward, his cockhead burning my throat as he thrusts into my mouth. It hurts, but in the best way possible.

Delicious pain.

“Come for me, baby,” Raven says in a tight voice. I look up at him and see those normally black eyes blaze red and I lose it.

Crying out—his cockhead resting on my lips—I come hard, undulating on his tail as he jerks all the come from my balls. I come so hard, I almost black out, my eyesight fizzing in and out for a few blinks.

Dimly, I watch Raven palm his cock, stroke it a few times, then he explodes on my face and chest, his groans of pleasure filling the room. My orgasm continues, white ropes shooting from my cock as Raven’s hot release coats me.

Once I come back to myself, I sag deeper on the bed, moaning softly when Raven extracts his tail from my ass.

He flops down beside me, running his large hand over the spunk he left on my skin. “You are all mine now.” I smile as he marks me with his seed. “You will stay with me forever.”

Grinning I turn to look up at him. “How long is forever?” He gives me a questioning look. “Humans have a life expectancy of like eighty or ninety years. How long do demons live?”

Raven summons a cloth, smiling as he looks into my eyes and cleans my face. “Demons are infinite. We can endure for as long as we like.”

My heart plummets. Eighty years compared to infinite? I’ll be without him, and he’ll be without me.

Before I can spiral more, Raven rests a large hand on my now clean cheek. “But you are mated to a demon. Promised to me. So you will live as long as I do. We can choose when we want to cease to exist. When we decide that, you will be by my side and I by yours.” He kisses me softly, the taste of love prominent on his tongue. “Like I said, baby. Forever.”

“So I’m immortal?”

He nods. “Immortal, but not invincible. So you still have to take care of yourself. As long as there are no accidents, we will be together for centuries more. Maybe even millennia.”

I grin so hard my cheeks hurt. “I don’t think millennia is long enough.”

Raven’s smile is so bright that my breath stutters in my chest from the sheer beauty of it. I’m the luckiest man in the world.

“Come,” he says, sitting up and pulling me up as well. “Let’s shower and we can walk around more. There’s so much I want to show you.”

We’re a mess when we climb in the shower. Raven takes his time washing me, the water cascading over me. His hands take a normal shower experience to a whole other level.

Once we get out, we do exactly as Raven wants. The more I see of Xendail, the more I love it. Even though I’ve only been here for one full day, I feel better here than I ever have on Earth. I feel free, happy, and wanted. I love Xendail. Who would have thought I’d feel this way about a dimension of hell?

After Raven shows me the beautiful lake at the edge of Xendail I spotted yesterday, we head back home to lie around. I bask in the sunshine, smiling as I spin in a slow circle. Raven says it rains here like it does on Earth, but there are no natural disasters. The linen outfit I have on is perfect for this weather. Raven walks around without a shirt and a pair of jeans with a cut out for his tail. It’s different, walking beside a man—demon—with an extra appendage like that, but I like it.

Especially what he can do with it.

When we get to his treehouse, I see a demon sitting on his couch, their back to us. Raven chuckles, threading our fingers together. “I have something to tell you. Well, we have something to tell you. Promise you will not get mad.”

“Um … okay.” What do I have to be mad at my demon about? I would never get mad at Raven. He saved me. He’s one of my best friends.

We step into the house, and the demon stands from the couch. It’s a woman, and she’s really cute. Taller than me—I mean, all the demons are taller than me, male or female—and built thick with broad shoulders, though her curves are clearly feminine. She also looks slightly familiar, but I’m not sure why. I don’t know any demons besides Raven, Phoenix, and Beatrice, and this clearly isn’t Beatrice.

She smiles nervously at me, her hands at her side. “Hey, Ev.”

I look up at Raven then back at the woman—demon woman? “Do I know you?”

She nods, then closes her eyes. I blink and in the place of the demon is Danae. It takes a moment for my brain to click, and my mouth drops open. “You’re a demon?” Though I should have known—only Danae has ever called me Ev.

Danae looks unsure when she nods. “Yeah. I’m Raven’s cousin. His dad is my uncle.” She glances at Raven, then back at me. “Are you mad?”

“Mad?” I ask, rushing over to her. I throw my arms around her small waist, hugging her tight. “No, I’m not mad. I’m glad to see you.” I chuckle, shaking my head as I hold her at arm’s length. “I was wondering how I was going to tell you I was dating a demon. This makes it much easier.”

Her light laugh tickles my ears, and I smile at her. She steps back again, closes her eyes and takes on her demon form. “Yes, it does. I have to get back to Earth, but I wanted to tell you about me before I left. I figured showing you would be easier than trying to convince you. When you cross back over, let’s do lunch. I’ll tell you everything.”

“Of course.” I give her a hug, still feeling the love I felt from her hugs in her human form.

She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and rushes out.

I watch her go, thinking it’s perfect my best friend is a demon. I’ll have to get the story on how this all came to be.

Raven wraps his arm around my shoulder. “Are you sure you are not mad?”

I nod, grinning up at him. “I’m sure. Though I should be. As many times as I’ve talked about Danae, you pretended like you didn’t know her.”

He nods, smiling. “I did. It was part of the plan. It was her idea to go to Earth to give you the push to summon me. She saw how much distress I experienced seeing you hurt but unable to cross over until you sent for me. I told her everything about you to make it easier. Even down to your strange tastes in food.”

I think back to Danae knowing how I ordered my sandwiches, even though it’s not something I ever shared with someone. That should have tipped me off that something was different about her.

“How can she cross over to Earth?”

“She really does have a mate,” he answers, pulling me over to the couch so we can talk. “She lives on Earth most of the time with him. She saw how your father was treating you, having followed you home once. She wanted him dead as much as you and I did, so she did what she could to get you directions to summon me.”

I smile, thankful I chose the right person as my best friend. Or did she choose me? Either way, I’m glad she’s in my life and helped me get to Raven.

“I love you, sweet demon of mine. You went through a lot to get to me.”

“And would go through even more to have you by my side.”

Tears brimming my eyes, I lean over and kiss him softly, glad that he’s in my life.