Chapter 3

Three

RAZBUNARE

M y dwelling on the outskirts of Fate's Falls is equipped with all the amenities of this era, including running water. The standing-room-only shower lacks pressure, but I have become accustomed to its convenience. Sometimes, I make use of the natural water near my cabin. A place where I am not confined, and the water does more than cleanse my exterior.

Today is one of those times. I crave the power of thundering water against my skin, so I cut through the woods surrounding my cabin until I reach the small clearing with its ninety-five-foot-high waterfall. The moon and sun are exchanging possession of the sky, bathing the crest in a pale, pre-dawn light. I will be back in the privacy of my cabin before the sun has fully risen.

After divesting myself of my pants, I stride into the river. The cool water laps against my skin, only reaching mid-thigh level in the bubbling pool at the base of the falls. I stand beneath the plunge, eyes closed, letting the turbulent water crash over me, pummeling my skin, roaring in my ears. Yet it does not clear my mind. Dela remains there, where she has been since our interaction in the coffee shop yesterday.

During that visit, she did not just serve my beverage. At her initiation, we conversed. She spoke to me with humor. She smiled for me, not merely at me, in the obligatory manner employees must with customers. She offered genuine kindness. These things linger in my thoughts, but above them all, the lovely color of her skin when she blushed.

In turn, I insulted her and made her uncomfortable. Even if I had not behaved in that manner, her demeanor toward me will never extend beyond friendliness. Wanting more is foolish and futile.

If the pounding water will not beat the yearning from me, I will find another source. I could ask one of my hell-born brethren in the other realm to torture me. There would be no question of why—inflicting such measures is their purpose. But that would be physical pain without meaning. A personal element is required for this to succeed. I need a punisher with motivation to rid me of my desire for Dela.

Her employer may be useful for this purpose. The well-respected Minotaur has looked out for Dela since she arrived in Fate's Falls. I will speak to him today and divulge the unbecoming thoughts I have about Dela. Given the Minotaur's protective nature, my admission may entice Constantine to use his significant bulk to deploy force against me. Certainly, he will forbid me to visit his coffee establishment again. If all else fails, I will leave town. Return to hell, where I belong.

The thought of never seeing Dela again rips through me like a jagged blade, and I roar loud enough to drown out the pounding rush of the falls crashing around me. Enough of this.

I step forward, opening my eyes as I exit the curtain of water and halt immediately.

Dela stands at the water's edge. The sun's morning rays wrap around her lovely, soft form. Her full lips are parted, her wide-eyed gazing bouncing between my face and my exposed body—including my cock. The tip is hidden beneath the water, but only momentarily. The sight of her is enough to harden my shaft. Having her attention on me causes it to rise above the water's surface with zeal, giving her a full and clear view of the flared, spade-shaped head.

"Why are you here?" I speak loud enough to project my question over the din of the water.

"I… I came to look at the waterfall." The tilt of her chin and the degree to which her mouth opens indicate she is also attempting to be heard.

My hearing is superior to any human's. She could have whispered and I would have understood every word. I have no need to move closer, yet I do. I cannot stop my legs from striding toward her, just as I cannot will my cock to return to its slack position.

Any other human would have fled. If not the moment they saw a demon standing beneath a waterfall, most certainly when the demon's cock rose at the sight of them.

Dela does not run. Does not flinch when I step out of the water and stand before her—unclothed and undeniably aroused.

"Do you want to put your pants on?" she asks, glancing at the garment I discarded.

"Demons do not feel modesty."

Her gaze once again drops to my cock, her skin taking on an appealing red hue when she tips her head up to meet my eyes again. "That's… yes, well… um…" The air temperature is not hot by human standards, yet she wipes her palm over her forehead and exhales. " Would you put your pants on? It's hard—" a small strangled sound rises from her lips, "it's difficult to concentrate while you're naked."

"I do not find it difficult."

"For me. It's difficult for me . Your…" She gestures in the vicinity of my cock while looking off toward the waterfall behind me. "Your parts are hard— difficult —to ignore."

"I will cover myself. Then I will escort you out of the woods. It is not safe for you to be out here alone."

Her eyes meet mine again. "Why not?" she asks, her gaze trailing me as I move to gather my pants. "This area is still within the town limits. The no-harm rule protects me."

"The animals who reside in the woods are not bound by that rule." I step into the pants, acutely aware of my cock bobbing, and Dela watching it, as I wrestle the garment upward over my wet skin. Finally, though not easily, I am able to tuck my cock aside and zip up. "Not the shifters who live among us; they won't harm you, even in their animal forms. The lesser beasts, if hungry or feeling threatened, would not hesitate."

A shiver ripples through her, and she wraps her arms around herself. "I was so grateful to be safe from malice, I never considered not being safe from the environment." She turns toward the waterfall and sighs. "Guess I won't come out here again."

Now that my lower body is covered, I join her by the water's edge, the need to protect her from any and all things building inside me. "Safe from what malice?"

"I shouldn't have said that." Her bright eyes dim, and she turns her head away, staring off at the waterfall.

"Was it untrue?"

"No, it's true," she says, her voice quiet, as if far off in the distance. "Impossible to believe when I look back on it, but I'm here, surrounded by proof that impossible things are true."

I have inquired about Dela's arrival in Fate's Falls. Not directly, those are not questions for a customer to ask a coffee barista. Not when the customer is a hell-born demon, and the barista is an innocent human. I asked the Minotaur. If Constantine had information, he was unwilling to share it.

"You can trust me." Looking down at her, I wait to gain her attention. "If it is within my power to deliver, you have only to ask."

Her eyes widen. "Do you mean for revenge?"

The thought of delivering vengeance in Dela's name stirs sensations in me unlike any I have experienced. For her, it would be more than fulfilling my purpose. I would do it to please her. "If you wish for it, even silently, I will ensure you are satisfied."

She gives me one slow blink, then a smile pulls at her lips. "I don't want revenge. And it's a good thing you can only hear those thoughts, or I'd be in a heap of trouble."

Humans' wishes for revenge come to me without bidding; I do not have to listen for them. This has not prevented me from opening my mind, hoping to hear Dela's voice in my head. Day and night, I find myself probing, searching for even a small wish from her. And have encountered none.

"I would like to know your thoughts," I say. "I assure you there will be no trouble of any quantity."

A short, sweet laugh leaves her smiling lips. "I don't think that level of disclosure falls within the nature of our relationship. No matter what Shay says."

"Who is Shay?"

As Dela tilts her head, sunlight paints her hair with streaks of gold. "Shay Winterlock. Another barista at The Brew. We both work the dayshift; she's always there while I'm there."

"I have not seen her there."

" Raz. Come on. You've never seen the other coffee barista?" When I fail to respond, she sighs, then continues. "The really beautiful woman with long, curly hair, green eyes, smooth brown skin, nice boobs, a great butt, and legs for days?"

"I have not noticed her."

Dela rolls her eyes. "Okay, this is ridiculous. Shay's gorgeous and it's literally impossible that you haven't noticed her all the times you've been in The Brew. There's no shame in admitting you find a woman attractive."

"That is your true feeling?" I ask. Humans are notorious for deception, both intentional and subconscious.

"Yes, of course."

"I am attracted to you. Your beauty is all I see."

The openness of Dela's eyes and lips indicates I have spoken out of turn again. Though she is not trapped by the duties of her workplace, her options of escape are limited, nonetheless.

"You are disturbed by my admission."

"I'm…surprised," she says. Though her voice is calm, her physiological responses are not.

"I have tried to rid myself of the attraction, but it has not been within my control. I will speak to the Minotaur who owns the establishment where you work and have him restrict me from entering. As I have no need of anything from town, you will not have to see me again."

"What if I want to see you again?"

The quickening of her pulse is visible in the column of her delicate neck. "You are frightened." Unable to resist, I place my fingers over the beat, eliciting a gasp from her full lips.

She captures my hand before I can draw it away, molding my fingers to the gentle curve of her neck. "I am, but not of you." Her gaze briefly drops to the space between us. "Okay, maybe one part of you."

"You fear my cock."

A sputtered laugh rises from her lips, and her cheeks bloom with fresh color.

"It is a reasonable fear. I am much larger than any human male, and you, my sweet Dela, are so very soft and small."

"If that's meant to scare me off, it's not working," she says, moistening her lips as she moves closer. "Kind of the opposite."

"Your reaction is not uncommon. Throughout time, many humans have expressed curiosity about fornication."

The glow leaves her face, deep creases forming at the bridge of her nose as she steps away from me. "It was you referring to me as ‘my sweet Dela' that made me feel… never mind." She makes a throaty noise that matches the cloudy expression she wears. "This soft, small human isn't interested in fornicating with you or anyone."

"My words were merely a statement of fact. It does not matter to me if you wish to discover how much of my cock fits inside you, or if you have chosen a life of celibacy. You affect me beyond carnality, my sweet Dela."

She crosses her arms over breasts that make my fingers flex with the urge to touch. "Did you say ‘my sweet Dela' again so I wouldn't be angry at you?"

"Manipulation is never my intention. Not with anyone, but above all others, not with you."

"Then I accept your apology," she says, the tension leaving her posture as she lets her arms fall to her side.

"I did not apologize."

"Yes, you did." Her lips curve into a full smile as she looks up at me. "In your unique way, which I appreciate."

"I am glad to have pleased you so the smile could return to your face." I may never know the sensation of her mouth against me, but I can no longer resist touching her lips. Gently cradling her chin in my hand, I trace the lines of her mouth. The upward curve of her full bottom lip. The peaks and dipping valley of her upper lip. "Your smile puts the sunshine to shame."

"That's beautiful." The softness in her eyes gives way to twinkling amusement. "Not very ‘statement of fact,' but beautiful."

"It is factual to me. I always see sunshine when I look at you." I step back before taking an action she will not forgive as easily as my direct manner of communication. "Let us return to the reason you are here. The literal sun of this realm has risen fully, and you are likely to be safe from wildlife. Still, I will wait nearby while you look at the waterfall."

"You could look at it with me if you want. I'm enjoying this time with you." Once again, her cheeks flood with rich color. "Or I can leave now, rather than make you wait around. I'm sure you have other things to do."

"Nothing I would choose before you."

"For a demon who barely wanted to grumble his coffee order to me for the past seven months, you're pretty good with words." She brushes her hand against mine, weaves our fingers together, then smiles so beautifully, she renders me speechless.

If I cannot provide a verbal response worthy of this gift, I will show her.

She shrieks when I scoop her off the ground with a single arm. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you a view of the waterfall it is unlikely you have seen."

The light fabric of her summer dress does little to mask all her soft, womanly curves. Her breast presses against my chest, her rounded hips and ass against my arm where she's perched. The toes of her cloth shoes graze my abdomen, and her hands have a tentative placement on my shoulder and chest.

My cock is hard again, straining to be free of the pants. To be inside my sweet Dela, a place it will never be. I will gladly live with perpetual, unsated desire if it allows me to have her close. "The climb is not smooth, but I will keep you safe."

"The climb? We're going to the top of the waterfall?" The excitement in her voice is like music.

"Yes. You should hold on to me. Firmly."

Twining her arms behind my neck brings her lush body tighter against me and her lips within inches of mine. "Is this okay?"

Kissing is a behavior I have not experienced, nor desired, before this woman. Dela's mouth has consumed my thoughts since the first time I saw her, and I have to fight the urge to know how it would feel against mine.

"The ascent is steep and rocky. Your current grip may not be adequate. Do not hesitate to hold my neck, head, or horns directly."

"Are you sure?"

"I will not lie; your hands on my skin and horns will give me pleasure. But that is not why I suggested you hold me in those places, and I will always contain my desire for you."

"I hope not always …" Her tone is breathy, her pupils dilating beneath rapidly fluttering eyelashes.

"You have only to wish for it. There is nothing I would deny you, but anything other than revenge, you must express aloud."

"I will, I want to, but… I need you to know that when I tell you I'm ready for… things , it's not because I'm curious about having sex with a non-human, it's about you. And I trust you, but I'm not sure I trust myself yet."

"I have eternity to wait for you, my sunshine, and so I will. There is no other creature in this realm or any other who could prevent me from doing so."

"You won't have to wait that long."

I suppress a groan when she slides one hand over the back of my head, up to my right horn, then curls her fingers around it. Though her hands are small and her touch light, the sensation stokes the fire within me in a way no other being has. "Do you feel secure?"

"More than I ever have before," she says, then presses her lips to mine.