Demon Slave (Shadow Quest Book 2) (20 page)

After what must have been hours, they came upon a sight that made Nadua want to fall to her knees and rejoice.

The passage opened to a tall cavern, a pool of clear steaming water at its base. She estimated it was waist deep, maybe more. Around it was a naturally made path, wide enough for a single person.

Kneeling on the edge, Nadua reached out for the water, but paused to give Rex a questioning look. He nodded and she tentatively put her hand in to test the temperature, and groaned. It was warm!

Exuberant excitement made her giddy. She nearly stripped right then and there, but decided tearing off her clothes in front of two sexually starved demons wasn’t the greatest idea.

Trying to suppress her excitement, she asked, “Will we be stopping for the night?”

Rex pointed to a small opening on the opposite wall. “There is a steep climb to a space large enough for us to sleep and make a fire. It also leads to an exit.”

“
Show us,” Marik ordered.

Nadua got the sense that Marik didn’t fully trust Rex. She wondered if he ever trusted anyone.

She may have had her suspicions about Rex before, but after seeing how easily that ledge had crumbled, she knew he had risked his life to save her.

The fissure was narrow, even for her, but easy to climb. As she slowly ascended, the air transformed into the familiar crisp chill of Undewla. The change was so drastic she could almost believe she’d walked through a portal.

At the end of the tunnel, a massive room came into view. Rex motioned toward a long corridor to his left. “That’s the exit.”

It must have been a straight shot because Nadua could see a dim light in the distance.

“
I’ll go start gathering wood for our fire.” He handed the lantern to Marik, then crossed to pull something from behind a pile of stones. “Here are some supplies. Cloth, soap, razor. Feel free to use them.”

Marik nodded in thanks.

Back in the blissfully warm cavern, Nadua eagerly turned to take the lantern and supplies from Marik. “I’ll go first and come up for you when I’m done.”

He lifted it out of reach. “I’m not leaving you alone down here.”

She gaped at him as his words sank in. “You don’t expect me to bathe in front of you?”

“
If you want to wash, then yes. I do expect that.”

“
You can’t be in here while I bathe, it’s...you just can’t.”

He smirked. “Shy? After what we did before? I’d say that was more intimate than a bath.”

Nadua flushed and made a frustrated sound. “That was different.” Well, it wasn’t that different. “Our clothes were on, and you surprised me.”

He shrugged.

The idea of being naked in front of this aggressive male was as frightening as it was titillating.

“
Marik, this isn’t funny. Are you prepared to strip in front of me?” she challenged.

Marik reached to remove his shirt and Nadua got a glimpse of tightly corded abs and a rock solid chest with light scars rippling over each muscle. Cheeks heating, she flipped around, yet was imaging licking every inch of that flesh.

She heard his soft chuckle. “You really are shy.”

“
I haven’t been naked in front of a man since Evlon,” she admitted. She never used to be shy about things like sex. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was now.

“
What about back in the prison tent? You weren’t shy then.”

“
If my face had been uncovered you would have seen how nervous I was. Besides, you were restrained.”

“
Not as well as you thought. If I had wanted you, I could have had you.”

Nadua wasn’t sure how to respond. Did that mean he hadn’t wanted her? And why was that the first thing she thought, rather than how dangerous a situation she had put herself in?

“
Look, I don’t want to push you,” he continued. “Although now, I can think of nothing but your wet naked body before me.” He let out the slightest groan, as if he couldn’t help it.

She could imagine it too. And it excited her.

His voice lowered to a more serious tone. “I don’t know this place, and I nearly lost you before. There are so many scents in here that I can’t pick yours out. So there is no way I’m leaving you alone, even for a second. Either accept that or go without a bath.”

Grumbling, Nadua snapped back around, keeping her eyes mostly on his face. “You are not to come in with me.” She shivered at the idea. Was that what she wanted?

“
I’ll stay right here,” he agreed.

She raised a brow. “And you can’t watch.”

His lips thinned. “Fine.”

“
You really won’t look?”

Was that disappointment in her tone?

“
I promise.” He turned his back to her.

Nadua snorted. “Like your last promise?” The memory of him yelling that she would never see Ava again still stung. Was that why she was doing this? To punish him?

He gave her his profile. “I never promised you would see Ava again. I promised to try and make it happen. And I still will, Nadua, but I can’t guarantee it. I can’t see what will happen in the future.” With that he turned his head away from her, giving her free reign to study his bare back, smooth and tan, and just as ripped with muscle as his front.

He couldn’t see the future, but
she
could—every so often—and she was reminded of the first vision of him, red-eyed and tearing through a wall of men.

Her brows knit together. Before, he’d been angry with her for trying to run, but nothing like in that vision. His gentleness when he’d stroked her to orgasm, and the desperate way he had held her in the cavern after she’d nearly fallen, was all too confusing in comparison. Once again she cursed her lack of control with her ability.

“
Are you getting in or not?”

“
I’m getting in. Don’t move.”

There was no way she was giving this up, even if he had insisted on watching. The notion had actually thrilled her, but Marik gave in much easier than she would have guessed.

It was probably better this way. They had been too intimate already. She didn’t really know Marik, and her cryptic visions were only adding to the mystery.

* * *

With every sound of Nadua peeling off her clothes and stepping into the water, Marik couldn’t help visualizing what she might look like with the lantern’s dancing light caressing her silky skin, her fiery red hair damp and clinging to the soft curve of her breasts.

When she groaned with contentment, his shaft jerked and he had to stifle one of his own.

Not being able to scent her down here made him incredibly uneasy. If she disappeared, he wouldn’t know unless he stole a look. And that would surely piss her off, though it would no doubt make his day. He’d never wanted to break a promise so badly in his life.

“
How’s the water?” he asked, to get her talking.

“
Perfect,” she replied in a deeply sexy voice, which made him harder still.

Damn it. Why didn’t she want him in there with her? He’d proven he would do nothing to hurt her, hadn’t he? Although that was his fear, he knew she worried about it too. With her, he’d been gentle, had restrained his desire while badly wanting to settle her under him and shove inside her, until they both screamed with ecstasy.

The thing that was most surprising to Marik was that he hadn’t blacked out while she’d given him the most powerful orgasm he’d ever experienced—with only her hand. It made him wonder if being with her for a night might be different than his past experiences.

Again he thought that maybe it had something to do with her gift, that he had remained himself during the height of pleasure. He had been eased by her presence from the beginning. Perhaps that was her talent.

Or maybe her gift was something else altogether.

At first, he thought they’d only gotten lucky with the sinkhole. But if Nadua hadn’t called out like she had, he would have been well in the middle of it. Only now did he recall that she’d yelled his name before there had been any hint of a problem.

His teeth gnashed together at the memory. While watching Nadua dangle on the edge, Marik’s heart had wrenched in a way he’d never felt before. Neither the arena nor any of his other masters had been able to inspire the crippling dread of that moment.

He told himself that it was for Anya’s sake that he’d been so alarmed for her safety. But for whose sake was it when, later, he had to forcibly release her from his relieved embrace? It had resulted in a rush of anxiety that was only appeased when she allowed him to take her hand. An anxiety that was returning now with her out of sight.

Marik was grateful when she found the soap. The sounds of water calmed him, but it did nothing to hinder the images running though his mind, keeping him hard as steel.

“
I can’t believe this has been here the whole time,” she practically moaned.

His cock jerked once more and he shifted in his pants. More water sounds resonated, as if she lifted it to drip over her body, and it was trickling through all the crevices where his tongue should be.

Mine
.

Marik mentally shook himself.

The sudden thought reminded him of the comment Rex had made in their first meeting. Marik had been ready to tear his throat out for the way he’d been looking at Nadua. But in Demonish, Rex had said, “Easy friend, I would never encroach on your mate.”

At first, Marik had been flabbergasted. After brief consideration, Marik had informed him that Nadua wasn’t his mate. Rex’s response had been, “Are you sure?”

How could he not be sure? Demons were supposed to be able to scent their mates instantly, from miles away. Rex should know that. Sure, Nadua was getting under his skin in a bad way, but that was only because he’d gone without a woman for so long. As he always did.

Breaking him from his thoughts, Marik noticed Nadua had gone quiet. Unthinking, he turned to make sure she was still there. She shrieked, shielding herself with her arms and ducking into the water.

“
You looked!”

“
I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you...I thought—”

“
What? That I left? Where would I go? You’re standing by both exits.”

“
I didn’t see anything,” he lied. His painfully stiff shaft was punishing him for it. Had she just been about to...? Surely her hand wasn’t... “Make some noise or something, so I know you’re still there.”

“
I-I was just...wondering about your scars.”

Marik went tense. How could he have forgotten his own marred body? He contemplated putting his shirt back on, but because he hadn’t perceived any kind of distaste in her tone, he decided to leave it off.

“
Could you tell me about them?”

“
No.” He tried not to growl the word.

How would she react knowing what he’d been forced to do? She’d be disgusted.

When Nadua went silent again, he almost turned. He needed the expression of her eyes to give away her thoughts.

Instead, he changed the subject. “How about we talk about your abilities?”

Still, she said nothing.

“
Nadua?”

He heard movement in the water again. It sounded as though she were getting out.

You can turn around now,” she said.

But when he did, he regretted it. She was perched at the edge of the pool, dripping wet, with only a thin cloth wrapped around her to conceal her otherwise naked body. Did she realize how revealing it was? He swallowed hard.

Soaked crimson locks fell heavily over her shoulders. She tucked a thick strand behind her ear. “I left the soap over there for you.”

He didn’t look where she pointed; an explosion couldn’t have ripped his eyes from her. Not when her nipples beaded through the cloth so perfectly. Droplets of water rolling over the soft skin of her thighs claimed his attention next.

Nadua remained still, allowing him to drink in the sight of her. When he was finally able to drag his eyes back to hers, he found they had gone violet. He clenched his fists, struggling to control his need.

Her heated expression relentlessly traveled his body. If he didn’t put an end to this, they both might regret what happened next. Unfortunately, his actions were no longer his own. His lust had quickly overpowered his common sense.

As she watched his every move with heavy lids, he found himself undoing his pants to show her just what she was doing to him. She licked her lips.

With the last of his restraint, he offered a reprieve. “Do you want to turn around?”

Liquid lavender swirled in the depths of her irises, and she gave the slightest shake of her head. Marik let the fabric slide free of his grip. Her breath hitched, and her throat worked hard as swallowed. The softest shade of pink filled her cheeks.

Entering the warm pool, Marik crossed to her. To his delight, she didn’t back away when he found a slender ankle dangling under the water. He traced his way up to her thigh. Her body shuttered. He kissed one knee and used his other hand to pull her leg to the side. She offered no resistance.