Chapter Twenty-Two

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Her eyes glazed and heavy-lidded, Khloë raised her hand. “Wait,” she slurred. “You’re saying my tongue print is different than yours?”

“I’m saying everyone’s tongue print is different,” said Devon, setting her glass on the table but almost tipping it over. “Like fingerprints.”

“Wow. If I was blitzed right now, my mind would be blown. Good thing I’m sober.” Swaying just a little, Khloë chugged down the rest of her drink and burped loud. “How cool would it be if I could fart confetti?”

“Fart confetti?” echoed Raini, slumped in her seat, twirling the little umbrella from her cocktail.

Khloë frowned at the blonde. “You can’t honestly say you’ve never wondered about it.”

“I honestly can,” Raini told her.

Khloë just snorted.

Staring into her empty glass, Harper pouted. “I miss Asher. I always feel so guilty when I leave him behind.”

Devon patted her shoulder. “The party’s almost over. You’ll see your bambino soon.”

Harper and Knox had thrown the “Welcome to the Lair” slash “Congrats on Your Mating” party in the Underground. Most bars and nightclubs on the strip took part, and a lot of food vendors set up stalls outside those venues to help celebrate, so it was kind of like a street party on crack.

There’d been lots of eating, drinking, and dancing as Devon and Tanner hopped from venue to venue, accepting well-wishes and all that jazz—the girls, Knox, and the other sentinels were with them every step of the way, of course.

Now that the mingling was done, the girls were settled at a table in their favorite bar. Tanner, Knox, and Keenan were near the restrooms, talking with a group of people Devon didn’t recognize. But it was good that they were all the way over there, because then they wouldn’t notice that the girls had exchanged their bottles of water for yet more alcoholic drinks—apparently, the guys thought they needed to sober up. Pfft. They were not drunk. Really.

Everyone in the lair had all been very welcoming, which was nice, but Devon was still sad to leave her old lair. She also didn’t like living so far from her parents. Nonetheless, she had no intention of living anywhere but with Tanner. And it wasn’t exactly a hardship to live in his—no, their—condo.

Harper nudged Devon with her elbow. “On the subject of bambinos, what did the specialist say about the whole you-not-going-into-heat thing—something you should have mentioned years ago, heifer. And I say ‘heifer’ with all the love in my shriveled heart.”

“You know why I didn’t tell you.” Devon awkwardly elbowed her right back. “The doc said nothing’s wrong; thinks it’s all psychological.”

Khloë clasped her hands together. “So there could be hellkitties or hellpuppies in your future?”

“The doc thinks so,” said Devon.

Khloë’s eyes went super wide. “Cool. If I had a flag, I’d totally wave it. Ooh, can I have pick of the litter?”

“Khloë, I love you for realsies, but I’m not gonna give you one of my kids.”

“It doesn’t have to be your firstborn or anything—I’m not Rumpelfuckingstiltskin.”

Devon’s brows dipped. “Rumpel who?”

“You’ve never heard the story of Rumpelstiltskin? Girl, you haven’t lived.” Khloë gave her a quick recap of the fairy tale. “The moral of it is … don’t make deals with strange little dudes—they’ll fuck you over every time.”

“Gotcha.” Devon picked up her glass and knocked back the last of her Cosmo. She had a real good buzz going on. Felt all warm, cozy, and tingly. “I could totally crash right here I’m so relaxed.”

“Me, too.” Raini tipped her head back and closed her eyes. “You’ve gotta love that transcendent state of pure happiness that’s devoid of tension and strife. Know what I mean?”

“I was just gonna say exactly that,” said Harper. “Not gonna lie, I was drunk off my ass earlier, though.”

Yeah, so was Devon. But after a few bottles of water and several thousand pees, she was simply a little buzzed; basking in the atmosphere and delighted that the world was such a beautiful, wondrous place filled with love and laughter. Even better, it was no longer spinning. Just kind of blurry, that’s all.

“Shit, the guys are heading our way!” hissed Khloë.

Devon and the girls quickly put their empty glasses under the table and planted innocent smiles on their faces.

Reaching them, Levi frowned. “Those smiles are making me nervous.”

Snorting, Tanner plucked Devon out of her seat, sank into the chair, and then perched her on his lap. “Hi, kitten. Did you miss me?”

“Like an idiot misses the point,” she replied.

Chuckling, Tanner pressed a kiss to her mouth. “You always make me feel so adored.” He peeked down her dress, getting a good look at her cleavage. “How are Holly and Molly doing?”

She sighed. “It’s not normal that you’ve named my boobs. You know that, right?”

“It seems so impersonal to refer to them as Leftie and Righty.”

Unable to stifle a smile, Devon shook her head. “You’re an odd one, pooch.”

He gave her another kiss. “Party’s almost over, so we’ll be leaving soon. I’ve gotta say, you impressed me tonight. People fussed and crowded you, but you only hissed a few times. Didn’t draw blood once.”

“I did lunge at the slimy lawyer, though.”

“Him I don’t like, so it doesn’t count.”

“Oh. Good.” She rested her head on his shoulder, smiling as his arms tightened around her. He’d been a little clingy since the whole her-almost-getting-killed thing. She figured his protective streak might be on fire for a few more months at least.

He’d been in a good mood today, though. Mostly because he was smug that her demon had branded him that morning. Twice. He now sported a tribal band on each of his upper arms. If anyone looked close enough at the design, they’d notice that each of the black curved lines were in fact claw marks.

His mind brushed hers. Love this dress you’re wearing, he said, sliding his hand up her side over the lattice design. The white, smooth, slinky number clung perfectly to her body. Can’t decide whether I’d rather flip it up when I fuck you or just claw the whole thing off.

There will be no tearing this dress, she asserted. It’s one of my favorites.

There’ll be plenty of fucking, though, as soon as we get home.

I’m counting on it. Hey, on another note … I meant to ask you earlier, what’s up Keenan’s butt?The incubus had been glaring at a completely oblivious Khloë all night—something he was doing again now.

Not sure,replied Tanner. But I’m getting the feeling that the imp has done something to piss him off.

It seemed likely. But if Keenan thought that Khloë would even notice those glares, he was wrong. Her shields were solid, and passive-aggressiveness often went right over her head.

“Teague’s racing tomorrow,” Khloë announced. “He said he’ll sort us a private box if we want to go. You girls up for it?”

“Sure,” said Devon.

Raini raised a hand. “I’m in.”

“You can count me in, too,” Harper told her.

“Awesome.” Khloë sank into her chair with a happy sigh. “I feel like I could float right now. How cool would that be? I mean, think of the possibilities. I could pee on people. Say hi to birds. Sleep on clouds like a Care Bear.”

Raini wrinkled her nose. “What’s a Care Bear?”

Khloë did a slow blink. “Dude, don’t you ever watch cartoons?”

“No.”

Khloë shook her head. “I feel like I don’t know you right now.”

“You’re not going to apologize, are you?” Keenan asked, his voice clipped.

The table fell silent. Khloë looked up at him and seemed surprised that the question had been directed at her. “For … ?” she prompted.

Keenan’s lips thinned. “For what happened last night when I gave you a ride home from the Xpress bar.”

Khloë bit down on the inside of her cheek. “I’m not sure what answer will bother you more. That I can’t remember what happened, or that it’s unlikely I’ll apologize, since annoying you is always fun.”

Curious, Devon lifted her head from Tanner’s shoulder and asked, “What did she do?”

Keenan didn’t even look Devon’s way. He was still glaring at Khloë, his neck corded. “It was irritating enough that you wouldn’t get in the car without bringing a road cone with you. Listening to you sing the wrong lyrics to ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’ was equally irritating—especially since you were using a tampon as a microphone. I can only thank God it was an unused tampon, because you tried shoving it down my ear. Oh, and then there’s the part where you were texting yourself. And yes, I had to listen to you read aloud a text-conversation you were having with yourself about how annoying it is that donuts have holes in them.”

Biting back a laugh, Devon snuggled into Tanner, whose shoulders were shaking.

“I wish I could say it ended there,” Keenan went on. “But no. You refused to get out of the car when I parked in your driveway. You swore it wasn’t your house and accused me of trying to hand you over to sex traffickers. When I finally convinced you that it was your home, you kept insisting I kiss the road cone goodbye. I refused, of course, so you threatened to post on social media that I’m a road cone bigot. Only you could turn a simple car ride into a crazy-ass episode—something you topped off by trying to unlock your front door with a tampon. I mean, seriously, what is up with that?”

Khloë blinked. “Wow. That explains why I woke up snuggled into a road cone.”

Keenan gaped. “That’s all you have to say?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I feel you and your monster cock judging me. I don’t like it.”

Honestly, he looked like he wanted to grab the imp by the throat. “Would you stop commenting on my—?”

“What’s with all the yelling over here?” asked a new voice.

Knox sighed at the newcomer. “Lou,” he greeted simply.

The devil smiled down at Devon and Tanner. “So, a hellcat has mated with a hellhound. Off the top of my head, can’t think of anything weirder. But hey, I’m all for it. I like weird. Most do.”

“You are weird,” said Harper.

“And likeable, which proves my point.” Lou glanced around. “Where’s my favorite nephew?”

“Asher is at home,” said Knox. “And he’s not your nephew.”

“He is where it counts,” Lou insisted, pounding a fist over his heart. “He loves me.”

Jolene sidled up to him. “Who loves you?”

Lou jerked away from the female Prime like she’d burned him. “Asher, obviously.”

Patting her hair, Jolene made a pfft sound. “My grandson merely tolerates you like the rest of us do.”

Lou shot her a petulant look. “You’re just being bitchy because he loves me more than he does you.”

“You lie to yourself far too often,” said Jolene.

“You really think he loves you more? Oh, wake up and smell the joint in my pocket—”

“You have a joint in your pocket?” Knox cut in, his eyes hard. Lou’s eyes went wide. “Of course not,” he scoffed. “Jeez, would it kill you to trust me?”

“Kill me?” asked Knox. “No. Make me extremely naïve? Yes. Considering you’re a chronic liar, a drug addict, and the most untrustworthy person I’ve ever met.”

Lou cupped his ear. “Sorry, could you repeat that? It’s hard to hear you from all the way up here on this pedestal you’ve put me on.”

Looking at Tanner, Devon rolled her eyes. “Interesting company we keep.”

Lips twitching, Tanner inclined his head. “‘Interesting’ is one word for it.”

Tanner almost let out a sigh of relief when the party finally reached its end. He had to hold in a laugh as, with a lot of staggering and weaving, his mate dished out hugs to her friends. He kept his arm curled around her waist as he led her drunken ass out of the Underground, smiling at the mad shit she was chatting—some of which he was convinced she hadn’t meant to say out loud.

Since he hadn’t consumed any alcohol, he drove them home in his Audi. Their friends had helped put the apartment to rights after the Leticia debacle. The blackened, broken furniture had been replaced. The fallen pictures had been reframed and rehung. And the scorch marks and patches of bubbling paint on the walls courtesy of the hellfire had been taken care of.

Other things, however, hadn’t been so easy to fix. Pamela had recovered well from the attempted poisoning, but she seemed to have retreated a little more. The nurse who poisoned Pamela was eventually caught, thanks to Jolene’s sentinels. She’d admitted that Leticia paid her to do the deed, hoping that being honest would earn her a quick and painless death. It didn’t.

He and Devon had paid her mother a few visits. Pamela never remembered him, and it was unlikely that she ever would, but he still intended to go with Devon on future visits. He wanted to get to know her mother, even if her mother would never really know him.

Finn’s situation hadn’t been so easy to fix either. He’d physically recovered from his wounds, but he was emotionally shattered. It was clear he blamed himself for all the shit that had happened—even for Leticia’s actions. He’d chosen to step down from his position of Prime.

Spencer had taken over, but he hadn’t seemed excited about it. Like his siblings, he was gutted by Leticia’s death but also angry with her for almost killing their father. Reena was feeling guilty, since she’d begun to suspect her mother might have been involved but hadn’t said anything. Tanner figured she therefore should be feeling guilty, but Devon wasn’t holding her accountable for anything.

When they finally entered their apartment, Tanner steered a humming Devon into their bedroom and held her tight. She looked up at him, her face all soft, her eyes glassy and hooded. She was blitzed. He had to smile.

“You’re gonna crash hard tonight for sure,” he said, skimming his knuckles down her cheek, drinking in every feature. “So gorgeous. I remember I once came on this pretty face, didn’t I?”

“You got it in my hair—I wasn’t impressed.”

He chuckled. “You sure you’re up to taking my cock tonight?”

Her eyes darkened with a naked, sensual hunger that matched his own. She fisted his shirt and pressed herself tight against him. “Oh, I’m sure.”

“Then I guess I’ll take your word for it.” Tanner sank his tongue into her mouth, and the flare of need was instant. It blasted through him with the force of a fucking freight train. His body tightened. Nerves sparked to life. Chemicals raced through his bloodstream.

He kissed her over and over, unable to get enough of her taste. The atmosphere was thick and static with the same sexual tension that had taunted them both from day one. He roughly palmed her breast, swallowing her soft moan, growling at the feel of her nipple piercing. “Can’t look at you without wanting to fuck you. Do you know that?”

Devon groaned into his mouth as his tongue again licked and tangled with hers. The kiss was hot, wet, and so damn carnal. Hell, he pretty much fucked her mouth with his tongue. Molten lust dazed her thoughts and swept her under, making her so frantic to feel his skin against hers that she impatiently tore off his shirt.

His hands were sure and confident as they roamed over her body, stirring it to life. So much sexual energy bounced between them it almost made her dizzy. Electric sparks seemed to leap from him to her, making her skin tingle and her nerve endings hypersensitive. Her nipples beaded into hard painful points that throbbed, desperate to be touched and tasted.

Tanner hiked up her dress, just as he’d been aching to do all damn night. “Lie down flat on your back. That’s it.” Kneeling on the mattress between her spread legs, he skimmed his hands up her silky-soft inner thighs. “I want to see those tits, kitten. Show me.” She scooped them out of her dress. “Good girl.”

Tanner bent over and drew as much of her creamy breast into his mouth as he could. She raked her fingers through his hair, pricking his scalp with her nails, as he sucked and licked and toyed with her piercings. He bit her nipple, injecting his venom into her bloodstream.

She hissed. “One day, I’m going to bite you right on the cock.” She glared at him when he chuckled. “Don’t think I’m kidding, pooch.”

“I consider myself warned,” he said, sliding her panties off her legs, baring her glistening pussy to him. “So pretty.” She jerked when he slipped the tip of his finger between her slick folds. “And so very sensitive. I like that.” Her lips parted on a soft gasp of surprise as he plunged two fingers hard into her pussy. Tanner groaned. “Jesus, kitten, you’re so fucking hot.”

He drove his fingers inside her again, humming as she rocked against his hand and ground her clit against the heel of his palm. “Yeah, that’s it, baby. Take what I give you.” Tanner pumped his fingers into her pussy, clenching his teeth as her tight walls spasmed. He wanted to feel her pussy rippling around his cock, wanted all that slickness wrapped around him.

Soon, her walls began to flutter and tighten. “You ready to come?” he asked, scissoring his fingers. He didn’t wait for an answer. He hooked his fingers just right and thrust deep and hard over and over, watching her buck and moan and bite on her lip. And then she was coming, her hands fisting the sheets, her thighs tremoring.

Tanner slipped his fingers out of her and sucked them clean. He growled. “Fuck, I want you.”

Panting, she licked her lower lip. “You have me.”

“And I’m keeping you.” Tanner angled her hips, snapped open his fly, freed his cock, and slammed home. Sheer fucking heaven. Her blazing hot pussy clamped down on him so tight it should have hurt. She writhed, trying to fuck herself on him, but he held her still. “Shh, I got you.”

Tanner began to slowly thrust in and out of her. Watching her inner walls cling to his cock was fucking hot. Feeling those tight muscles try and suck him back in again and again was even better. “Never had a pussy this sweet.” He swiveled his hips. “If I could, I’d be in you twenty-four/seven.”

She tried to take over and quicken the thrusts, but Tanner wouldn’t let her. He kept the pace slow and easy, ignoring her demands of “harder” and “faster.”

Her nostrils flared. “If you’re going to ask me to beg—”

“I don’t want you to beg. I’m not interested in taking hits at your pride.” He swiveled his hips again. “I just want to make you come while I take you like this, all soft and slow. Then I’ll give it to you hard.” Maybe it was messed up, but her snarl went straight to his cock.

“Slow just makes me cranky. It doesn’t do anything for me.”

Which was why he was determined to make her come that way. And it wasn’t long before she did. Her hot, slick pussy contracted around his cock. It took everything he had not to explode right along with her.

Draping himself over her, Tanner hummed into the hollow beneath her ear. “I like watching you come.” He grazed her earlobe with his teeth. “I think I’ll do it again.” He slowly pulled his hips back, loving how her tight muscles clenched his dick. Then he slammed deep. “This time, I’ll fuck you hard. And then I’ll fill this pussy up with my come.”

Digging her nails into the smooth flesh of his broad shoulders, Devon held tight as he fucked in and out of her body with blatantly possessive thrusts. So many sensations assailed her—the burn of his thickness stretching her, the dig of his fingertips in his hips, the slap of his balls on her ass, the heat of his mouth as it ravished hers with so much greed it stole her breath.

He groaned. “Fuck, kitten, your pussy is strangling my dick.”

Devon bit her lip as he spread her folds with his fingers, exposing her clit to every brutal, branding slam of his cock. She dug her claws harder into his flesh, scratching the hellcat she’d tattooed onto the back of his left shoulder. “Harder, Tanner.”

He gave her what she wanted, grunting and breathing heavily down her ear. Every heavy pound of his cock wound her tighter and tighter, driving her closer and closer to coming … until she was teetering on the knife-edge of what she knew would be a mind-blowing orgasm. She felt his cock throb and swell; knew he was close as well.

“You love me?” he ground out.

“Yes.”

“You belong to me?”

“Yes.”

“Will I ever give you up?”

“No.”

“That’s right. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. Need you more than you’ll ever know. And right now, I need you to come for me.” He slipped his thumb between her slit and thumbed her clit hard. “Do it, kitten, milk my cock and … yeah, that’s it.”

Devon’s head flew back as white-hot pleasure blasted through her body, making her muscles spasm, her pussy ripple, and her spine arch like a bow. Tanner cursed into her neck as he slammed harder, faster. His teeth sank into her skin just as his cock roughly sank deep one last time. He exploded with a growl, and she felt jet after jet of hot come splash her quivering walls.

Devon slumped into the mattress, breathing hard, shaking with aftershocks. Damn if the pooch wasn’t good at—

Her brow furrowed as he slid something cold onto her third finger. A little dazed from her orgasm, she blinked at her finger. It wasn’t a ring. It was two. One was a black gold band that had a row of small garnet stones. The other black gold ring was thinner and had an emerald-cut black diamond in the center.

Her heart slammed against her ribs, and she met his eyes. “This is a black diamond.”

His lips twitched. “Well I know that.”

Pulse racing, she could only gawk at him. It was no casual thing for a demon to give their mate a black diamond. It was the ultimate brand of ownership; a symbol of commitment. And since demons didn’t commit easily or lightly, a lot of couples waited a long time before exchanging rings.

It took male hellhounds far longer than other breeds to settle down, if they ever did—it still amazed Devon that he’d taken her as his mate; the last thing she would have expected was for him to give her a black diamond so soon. Especially when “alone” was what he knew best.

She licked her lips. “Tanner—”

“You’re thinking this is too big a step for me; that I haven’t thought this through,” he said, looking more peaceful than she’d ever seen him. “You’re wrong. We haven’t been together long, that’s true. But you’ve been mine since the day we met, kitten, and we both know it. It just took us a while to get where we are now.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “I’ve never felt what I feel for you for anyone else, and I know I never could. I love every part of you, inside and out. Every inch of this body, every hair on your head, everything that makes you who you are. You’re irreplaceable for me, and there isn’t a single thing I won’t do to keep you. I’ve told you before; once a male hellhound chooses a mate, it’s permanent. I mean it when I say I will fucking obliterate anyone or anything that tries to come between us.”

Nose prickling, throat thick, Devon bit her lip. “Then I’ll wear these rings with pride.” She hugged him tight, breathing him in, so far gone for him it wasn’t even funny. “Love ya, pooch.”

Looking down into eyes glistening with unshed tears, Tanner felt warmth radiate through him and swell in his chest. Fuck if those simple words didn’t have the power to bring him to his knees, even if he’d heard them before. “Love you right back, kitten.”

“Where’s the male version of the ring? I know they come in a set. And no, I’m not asking you to put it on just because you slipped these on me. I want you to wear it. And I’ll shove it up your nostril if you don’t—it’ll be a tight fit, but I’ll make it work.”

He chuckled. “No need to convince me to wear it.”

“Well, then, what are you waiting for?”

“So impatient.” He plucked a box out of the nightstand draw and pulled out a thick, masculine black gold band that had a single, small garnet stone in the center. He slid it onto his third finger. His chest expanded as he took a deep, satisfied breath. “Happy now?”

“Yep.”

He rolled them onto their sides, keeping her close. “What about your demon?”

“Content. It likes shiny things, and it’s smug that you’ve laid such a massive claim.”

“My demon is rather pleased—it likes seeing those rings on your finger; likes that everyone, including humans, will know you’re taken. And it’s just as pleased that you want me to wear the masculine band.”

“Then all is good in our world.”

“Yep, it is.” Unable to refrain from teasing her, he said, “So, all your dreams have come true. You’re officially my mate, you’re living with me, you’re wearing my rings, I’m wearing yours. Your heart must be close to bursting with the sheer joy of it all.” He almost laughed when her eyes narrowed. “I mean, let’s be honest, it was a case of love at first sight for you, wasn’t it? You’ve adored me for so long, it must be sometimes hard to believe that this is all truly real and that—”

He laughed when she swiped at him, her claws out. “Now, now, kitten, we’ve talked about this—you need to leave those claws sheathed. If you want, we can forget that you’ve been obsessed with me all these years; we can pretend that you didn’t compare other guys to me and find them all lacking so—Fuck, stop going for my eyes!”