The Warlock Who Hungered for a Demon (10 page)

scissoring them inside Rhys to stretch him. In the process, he brushed

against Rhys’s prostate, making sparks of pleasure fly over every inch

of Rhys’s skin.

Rhys cried out his mate’s name and pushed back against the

digits, seeking more of the delicious, addictive sensations. It was oh

so good, but still not enough. As he thrashed on the grass, his eyes fell

on a slender figure now lying next to them. The shaman’s son, Kieve,

watched them with keen eyes, from a safe distance, but still far closer

than everyone else. “Don’t mind me,” Kieve said. “I won’t join in.

I’m just watching.”

Noah didn’t even show any sign that he’d heard Kieve, and Rhys

disregarded the pixie’s presence as well. In a way, Kieve’s obvious

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appreciation of them thrilled Rhys’s incubus instincts, just like the

arousal coming from the crowd did. But all those emotions were mere

shadows at the edge of Rhys’s consciousness, paling in front of the

bright star that was Rhys’s connection to Noah.

At last, Noah removed his fingers from Rhys’s ass and lifted

Rhys’s legs on his shoulders. The warlock positioned his dick at

Rhys’s opening and, in one single thrust, he impaled Rhys. The

invasion burned, as saliva was far from the best lubricant in existence,

but Rhys didn’t mind. He loved it when Noah got a little rough with

him. It meant that the warlock desired him so much he lost sight of his

precious control, something that held an incredible value for Rhys.

Rhys clutched his lover’s shoulders, hanging on for what would

undoubtedly be a wild ride. Noah pulled out of him then shoved his

cock back in, hitting Rhys’s prostate so hard Rhys nearly came on the

spot. He tightened his hold on Noah, guessing that at this point he

must be drawing blood, but unable to do anything about it.

Over and over, Noah fucked him with the same determination

Noah had when pursuing every goal he set for himself. Rhys could

sense his mate’s emotions, the near-desperate desire to get deeper into

Rhys’s channel, to brand him from the inside out, to live in this

moment forever and never have to come back to reality. They were

feelings that found an echo inside Rhys’s own heart. The deep

affection entwined with the sensuality of their carnal passion as their

souls reached out for each other and their bodies came together in the

most intimate way two men could possibly be.

Rhys was already frighteningly close to finding his peak, but he

mentally leashed his hunger, not wanting this to end just yet. Noah’s

thoughts drifted in his mind, erratic, sweet, lustful, and loving.

“Ah…Rhys…So tight…Love you…My mate…Please…”

Even if the thoughts themselves lacked coherence, they somehow

translated in Rhys’s mind, making him know exactly what Noah

wanted and what he was wishing for. Gathering the last remaining

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63

threads of his control, he sent an answer to his mate.
“We’ll get there,

love. We’ll be together forever. This won’t ever end.”

Tears glistened at the corners of Noah’s eyes, something anyone

else except Rhys might have missed. Rhys’s own love and desperate

hope filled him, reaching out to Noah, trying to provide a balm for the

warlock’s still-wounded heart.

At the same time, the physical pleasure of their union reached a

point where it could no longer be held back. Absorbing it all through

his incubus magic, Rhys flooded their bond with their shared rapture.

Noah thrust inside him one last time and then wet heat bathed the

walls of Rhys’s anus. Even as Rhys came, the bursts of Noah’s climax

slammed into Rhys with a near-physical force, propelling him into a

second orgasm, making his mind short-circuit with the dizzying

ecstasy.

He might have blacked out because of the pleasure, but over

Noah’s shoulder, he caught sight of Kieve once more. Throughout the

lovemaking with Noah, Rhys had completely forgotten the pixie was

there.

Kieve had a sharp knife in his hand, its wooden handle shining

with golden symbols. Before Rhys could recover from his daze and

do anything about it, the pixie slit his own wrist. Kieve’s blood

dropped over Noah’s skin, and while Rhys couldn’t see it because of

the angle, he felt the exact moment when the crimson liquid hit his

lover’s back.

Rhys’s vision went red, then white. His world dissolved, turning

into an ethereal space unlike anything he’d seen before. He found

himself floating among wispy white clouds that vanished and re-

formed around him, taking all sorts of strange shapes. Rhys could

swear that in those clouds, he saw Alexis cradling his infant son, his

two fathers, Elden, and many other figures, some familiar, others

foreign.

To his relief, Noah appeared right there next to him. “What is this

place?” Rhys asked Noah. “Where are we?”

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Noah looked as confused and lost as Rhys himself felt, but before

he could answer, Kieve made his appearance, manifesting from the

ethereal insubstantiality of a cloud. “Nowhere. Everywhere,” the pixie

replied cryptically. “Wherever your heart wants you to be.”

“I don’t understand,” Noah said. “What are we doing here? Why

did you step in on a private moment between me and my mate?”

Kieve smiled. “Whether you realize it or not, we didn’t ask you to

couple with Rhys just for our pleasure. While I admit it was very

exciting, I had another reason for this request.”

“You? You asked for this?” Oddly, Rhys felt a little betrayed.

“But why?”

“Because these are the only moments when Noah’s heart is open.

Come on, Rhys. Look into his soul. Tell me what you see.”

Noah bristled, his anger seeping inside Rhys as well, as hot and

bright as the pleasure had been. “What the hell do you know, pixie?”

Noah asked. “I didn’t come here for you to psychoanalyze me. I came

here to fight black magic.”

“You’re being deliberately absurd,” Kieve answered without

missing a beat. “Both of you know that, minor utility spells aside,

most magic, and black magic in particular, is based on emotions. You

do remember how you summoned the dark forces to your aid, don’t

you?”

Noah obviously didn’t want to recall that, and just because of that,

Rhys realized how important the memory must be. “Please, Noah,” he

said. “Just…Go along with this. This is our only chance.”

The warlock took a deep breath and nodded jerkily. “I remember.

You’re right, of course. I used dark emotions to fuel the spell.”

“Hatred. Loneliness. Anger. Helplessness.” Kieve spoke, each

word echoing inside Rhys with the truth of it. “It was all within you,

and you brought it together, turning it into a spell that could defeat

your father.”

“It was a fitting end for him!” Noah shouted. “It was the only

way.”

The Warlock Who Hungered for a Demon

65

“But you don’t really believe that, do you, Noah?” Kieve asked

softly. “You don’t truly believe your actions were justifiable.”

Noah clenched his fists and didn’t answer. He didn’t have to.

Rhys could feel the shame and the guilt pouring off his mate in

waves. His heart aching for Noah’s pain, Rhys hugged his mate

tightly.

“I understand, love,” he told Noah. “He was your father. In your

heart, you still loved him. Perhaps years back, he was a real parent to

you. But his mistakes are not your fault. You did what you had to do.”

“I did what was comfortable for me,” Noah shot back, his arms

closing around Rhys almost as if by reflex. “There should have been

another method, a better alternative. I killed my father twice over,

Rhys. How can that possibly be justifiable?”

“Noah… Love, you can’t blame yourself forever.” For the first

time, Rhys realized just how much Noah had suffered because of this.

“You made a sacrifice for the greater good. I hate to say this, but

Tyrell was far too dangerous for any other option to be valid.”

Noah broke away from Rhys and shook his head. “I should have

at least tried. Paris did. Paris wanted to help his mother. But I went

ahead and killed my father, with no regard to the help I could provide.

And I used black magic to do so. For all I know, that’s the reason why

Tyrell became even more twisted and stole Daire’s body. I’m a

monster, baby.”

“Don’t call yourself that. Do you think I could ever love a

monster? You are an amazing, generous man, with far too many

scruples for the world you were destined to live in.” Rhys cupped

Noah’s cheek and met the warlock’s gaze steadily. “Do you love me,

Noah?”

Noah released a choked sob. “You have no idea…You have no

idea how much. But I don’t deserve you.”

“And therein lies your problem,” the pixie suddenly said, drawing

attention to the fact that he was still present. “You keep these dark

emotions within you. The hate and self-loathing poison you.”

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“Like I said,” Noah replied, “I didn’t come here to have my

feelings dissected. I can do that in private, with my mate. You

promised to help us and tell us a cure for my tumor.”

Kieve smiled sadly. “You still don’t understand, I see. There is no

cure. The Silver Pool is among the strongest forces on Earth. If that

can’t help you, nothing can. I assume King Sterling didn’t have the

heart to tell you this outright.”

Even in this place that had no substance, Rhys felt physically ill.

“But why…But you said…He said…”

“I believe King Sterling suspected the problem himself, but he

could not do anything to change it. I, however, can give you a little

nudge in the right direction, should you choose to accept it.”

Noah seemed as pissed and pained as Rhys. “So what you’re

saying is that I’m making myself sick by dwelling on the past. How

can you possibly help change that?”

“I can show you your mate’s heart, what you refuse to see for

yourself. That is the only help I can provide. I believe it can assist

you, but you have to be open to it, otherwise it will not work.” His

image flickered before stabilizing once more. “Already, you are

shutting yourself away from everyone else. At this rate, you’ll bring

about your own downfall.”

For a few moments, Noah said nothing. “Very well,” the warlock

said finally. “I will do it. For Rhys.”

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67

Noah glared at the pixie who’d promised him the chance for a real

life with his mate only to later confront them with impossibility of

their desire. He was not happy about this at all, or about the claim that

he himself had caused his enduring tumor due to the lingering

negative emotions within him.

But he felt Rhys’s gaze on him, the way the incubus clung to this

last hope with every fiber of his being. Noah might have refused

Kieve, but he could never say no to Rhys.

“What do I have to do?” he asked Kieve.

“It’s quite simple, really. You have to remember what you did and

show it to your mate.”

Just the concept horrified Noah. Sure, Rhys knew what Noah had

done intellectually, but to actually see it was a whole different thing.

“Please, Noah,” Rhys whispered. “Trust me like I trust you.”

What choice did Noah have? He took hold of Rhys’s hands,

closed his eyes, and summoned the memory of the darkest times in his

life.

* * * *

Tyrell’s quarters were lavish and far too ostentatious to be classy.

As Noah was led inside, no one looked at him, confirming his guess

about what his father planned. He had tried to show his coven the

truth about Tyrell, but no one had listened. It seemed that now, Noah

would be forced to take some extreme measures.

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When Noah came in, a witch named Tabitha was feeding Tyrell

with her fingers. Tyrell shooed her aside and got up. “I hear you’ve

been speaking against me, my son.” Tyrell tsked, shaking his head at

Noah as if in disappointment. “Truly, I expected more of you. My own

child should understand my vision for this coven.”

Noah stole a look around the room. There were a couple of