BURN (32 page)

“Ever bungee jumped before?”

Her heart slammed against her ribs. “Say what?”

“I’ll take that as a ‘no.’” Knox smiled. “Don’t worry; you’ll enjoy it.”

She gaped. “Wait, you want to bungee jump…into that?” Was he insane? Apparently so. It could be an archdemon-thing. She should probably look into that.

“
We
are going to jump into it. Not into the magma chamber. We’ll stop several feet above.”

He said it casually…like it was just a bus ride as opposed to a death-defying experience. “How? There’s no equipment or—” She cut off as wings suddenly snapped out of his back, fanning out behind him. “Oh. My. God.” The feathers were gold, red, and black…and on fire. Touching one of the wings, she realized they weren’t quite substantial; it was more like they were constructed of magma energy or something. Jealously crept in as she suddenly felt the absence of her own wings very acutely. The guy never ceased to amaze her. “Do all archdemons have wings?”

Nodding, he flapped his wings once. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Whoa there, Thorne…You’re going to fly us over there?”

“Yes. Then, while I’m holding tight to you, we’re going to drop.”

“Seriously?”

“You’re excited, admit it.”

Okay, yeah, an element of excitement was trickling through her. It was a terrifying idea, but it was also thrilling – she was a demon, her kind thrived on adrenalin rushes. But Harper also thrived on being alive. “Whole cities have been destroyed by eruptions of lava, gas, and ash from volcanoes. And you want to jump into one? Have you done it before?”

“A few times. Come on, you’ll enjoy it. This one only erupts at night,” he reassured her. “And it’s not like the lava or the heat coming from it can burn you.” Their skin was impervious to both. “Come here. Trust me.”

“I do.” So she stepped into his arms, both of which came around her. Then they shot into the air like a bullet. He was scaring her on purpose. “You’re an asshole!” He just chuckled. She kept her eyes closed as, still holding her tight, he flew in a horizontal position. It wasn’t long before he came to a halt, still in the air. Forcing open her eyes, she saw that they were soaring above an ash cloud.

“We’re going to drop down the throat of the volcano,” he told her.

He slowly lowered them to hover just under the cloud, and the breath left her lungs at the sight below her.
Fuck.
She fisted her hands tight in Knox’s shirt, locking her legs around him.

“Look.”

Oh, she was looking. She wasn’t liking. There was really nothing quite like hovering above an active volcano. As if the view of the descent into the crater wasn’t bad enough, there was the bubbling pool of red-hot, molten lava.

“You ready?”

Not really. Her heart was in her mouth, and she was pretty sure it belonged in her chest. Steeling herself, she took a long breath.

“I won’t let you fall, you know that.” He spoke into her ear. “The first time, we’ll jump feet first.”

“The
first
time?” Shit, what was she doing up here? Why was she putting her life in the hands of a clearly insane archdemon? Her heart was pumping rapidly, her teeth were rattling, and her hands were shaking.

“You don’t have to look down. You can just look straight ahead.”

“Get on with it. The more I think about it, the more aggravated I’m getting.” Her demon was totally up for this; it didn’t find fear an unpleasant sensation, so it wasn’t at all ruffled.

“After three.”

Why was he doing this to her?

“Three.”

Would her friends miss her at all?

“Two.”

No, she wouldn’t fret anymore. She’d meet her death with dignity.

“One.”

His wings snapped around her and they dropped. It was like time just stopped. There was absolute nothingness for one single moment. And then they were falling.

Falling.

Falling.

The wind whipped up her hair, and her stomach rolled like it did on a rollercoaster ride. Oh shit, that red-hot lava was coming at them fast. “Knox, stop!” But he didn’t.
“Knox, stop!”
They just kept falling and falling and—

Abruptly, his long, smooth drop halted just a few feet above the bubbling lava. “You fucking bastard!” But she was laughing. As they shot back above the ash cloud, she knew she had a wide, stupid-ass grin on her face. She had to admit the drop had been kind of exhilarating. Her hands were still shaking from the adrenalin.

His wings kept them floating. “I told you that you’d enjoy it.”

“Okay, it was a little fun.”

“If you liked that, you’ll love this.”

And then he was tipping them. “Oh no, not upside down,” she groused, gripping him even tighter. “Why do you hate me?” The view was even worse this time. Another shot of adrenalin pumped through her, making her demon almost high as a kite.

“On the count of three.” He tightened his arms around her. “Three. Two. One.”

And then they were falling again. Plummeting head-first into the crater. She would have screamed, but the sound just wouldn’t come out. And here was her good friend, lava, again. “Stop! Stop! Stop!” But of course, he didn’t. Because he was evil. She was totally seeing that now.
“Knox!”

He stopped.

The lava was
way
too close for comfort, and she was staring right into it. “Sooner or later, you’ve gotta sleep. Then I’ll kill you.” His laugh did not improve her mood at all.

Rocketing them once again above the ash cloud, he said, “You enjoyed that.” She huffed, but he could see the excitement in her ocean blue eyes. “Again? There are lots of ways to do a drop like this. I won’t let go of you…unless you want me to.”

“No, don’t let go.”

“I won’t.”

“You said you wouldn’t let go.”

Knox did his best to stifle a smile. She’d been glaring at him since they returned to the jet. And now she was opposite him, shaking with fury. Yet, she still made him think of a hissing, spitting kitten. He thought it best not to say that aloud. “I caught you,” he reminded her.

“That’s not the point.”

“Falling’s not the same when someone else has hold of you. I wanted you to experience what it’s like to just fall.” He shrugged one shoulder. “And you did say you’d like to know how it felt to fly.”

“I hate you.”

He chuckled. “No, you don’t. Come here, I’ll apologize.”

She snorted. “No, you won’t. You’ll feel me up.”

“That too,” he admitted with a smile. “Come here.”

The dominant, authoritative rumble made her stomach clench; she knew that tone too well. “You know what? I don’t think I will.” She jolted as an ice-cold finger flicked her clit. “Don’t.”

“Then come here.” His mouth curved as her eyes narrowed defiantly. “If that’s the way you want it.”

Her mouth opened in a silent gasp as the psychic finger slid through her folds – so cold, yet it produced so much heat. It stroked her again. Over. And over. And over. Occasionally, it stopped to swirl around her clit, making her pussy spasm. Holding tight to the armrests as if they could anchor her, she locked her muscles in place, resisting the urge to squirm. But it was so hard when her flesh was burning and prickling, desperate for more.
“Stop.”

“You know what to do if you want it to stop, baby.” She couldn’t have any idea how fucking hot it was to watch her eyes glaze over and her cheeks flush with need. Her breathing turned shallow and uneven as a climax slowly began to build. So hard it hurt, Knox undid his fly. His cock sprang out, heavy and pulsing. He fisted himself. “Do you want it, Harper?” He pumped once. “You look like you do.” Her slumberous gaze was fixed hungrily on his cock. “Come here, and you can have it.”

A moan slid out of Harper as the icy finger drove inside her. She couldn’t help arching into the slow thrusts, so wet and on fire. Her thighs trembled as the friction built, threatening to tumble her into an—

The finger dissolved, leaving her pussy throbbing. She felt red-hot inside, and so unbelievably empty it hurt. She barely held back a sob.

“Only I can give you what you need, Harper.” He’d put the ache there, and only he could take it away. “Come to me.”

Harper might have cursed the dominant fucker, but that would only make him torture her a little more. There was only so much defiance he would allow, and she’d learned just how far she could push.

As she rose and moved to stand between his thighs, Knox praised, “Good girl.” Snapping open her fly, he shoved down her jeans and panties. Once she’d kicked them and her shoes aside, he gripped her hips and lifted her, positioning her right where he wanted her. “The brand on your pussy is one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen. Be still.” He lashed her clit with his tongue.

Her fingers knotted in his hair. “Knox.” His tongue eased the burning as it slipped between her folds, licking and lapping, but it also began to build the friction once again. As he suckled her clit, her head fell back. “I’m gonna come.”

Knox moved her to straddle him. “Not until I’m in you.” He draped his arms over the back of his seat. “Fuck yourself on me, Harper.” She took him inside with one slow, downward, spiral thrust that almost made him come. “Give me your mouth.”

Gripping his shoulders, Harper kissed him just as she began impaling herself on his cock, loving how it stretched her oversensitive pussy just right. He forced his tongue inside her mouth, made her taste herself as he devoured and dominated.

He bit her lip hard. “You want me to come in you, Harper?” She moaned her assent. “Then work for it.” Their mouths stayed locked as she increased her pace, slamming herself down on him. They shared breaths, pants, and groans. He sensed exactly when her orgasm was close. “Wait.”

“Will you just let me come this one damn time?” she griped, digging her nails into his shoulders.

“Wait.” He grunted as she clenched her inner muscles around him in revenge. His demon was both amused and irritated by that.

Harper froze mid-thrust as Knox’s eyes bled to black. The demon didn’t look pissed, but it definitely looked a little piqued. Shit.

“Sneaky little sphinx,” it commented.

“I get a free pass on my birthday, though, right?”

It chuckled, and it was an odd sound; flat, yet not humorless. Then Knox was back. She was about to speak, but he arched a displeased brow.

“Who told you to stop?” he demanded, smacking her ass; her pussy clamped around him and soaked him in a rush of cream. “I said wait, not stop. Ride me.” She mumbled a curse, but he let it slide – mostly because she was frantically impaling herself on his cock. The feel of her so slick, burning hot, and almost painfully tight around him was too much. He knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

“Make me come, Harper. Do it,” he bit out. “Then you can come.” Her movements turned erratic and her hand slid to his nape as she kissed him hard. Her hold wasn’t tight, but his nape began to heat until it was burning and it felt like tiny needles were stabbing his flesh. The bite of pain instantly became pleasure. He opened his eyes to see that hers were black – her demon had branded him, he realized.

“Fuck.” Just as Harper resurfaced, Knox cinched her hips and repeatedly slammed her down on his cock. His climax barreled into him, making his fingers dig into her hips as he thrust deep and filled her with everything he had. As she came hard, she bit his neck to muffle her scream. Sated, she then sagged against him, arms flopping to her sides. “Your demon branded me.”

“Yep. Does it bother you?” she asked cautiously.

“Of course not.” The demon had every right to brand him. And it was a huge fucking turn-on. He liked that Harper and her demon were possessive of him. “I’m intrigued about what the brand looks like.”

Once they were both cleaned up and had their clothes back in order, Harper took a look at his nape. “I’m not so sure you’re gonna like it.”

“Describe it.”

“Well, it’s sort of tribal. Has solid black lines and pointed curves.” She’d done tattoos similar to the brand. “One of the curves has wings and the head of a sphinx – which looks uncannily like me. Hang on a sec.” She snapped a picture with her cell phone. “See.”

Knox turned to look at the photo. “I like it.”

“That’s a relief, because you’re kind of stuck with it…unless you’re planning to get rid of me at any point. Then I’ll just carve it into your flesh out of spite.”

He chuckled, sliding his arms around her. “I consider myself warned. So, what does the birthday girl want to do next?”

“I need to visit Jolene. I promised.”

“Then I’m coming with you.”

“Okay, but” – she grimaced – “just know in advance that my family is kind of crazy.”

“They’re imps, of course they’re crazy.”

“I’d like to use the excuse that it’s
because
they’re imps, but…well, you’ll see. Just brace yourself.”

Standing in Jolene’s kitchen a few hours later, Knox had to wonder if this was what a mental ward was like. Over the past few hours, every member of the lair had appeared at one point or another to wish Harper a happy birthday. Some had remained, some had left. With the exception of Jolene, Beck, Martina, and Harper’s co-workers, all had looked at him like they thought he was imagining sticking their severed heads on a flagpole.