Demon's Kiss by Devereaux, J. (best sci fi novels of all time .TXT) 📗

terms that spoke more of themselves than us. They huntedus and our kith, our kindred.”

He took a breath, remembering.

“All we wanted was a place of our own, on this plane,” hesaid as he rolled over on his back, drawing her with him.

She rested her chin on the hand splayed over his chest. Hereyes were bright, intent on his as she listened.

“This was our home. There is little on the other plane savemere existence, outside of the companionship of my brothers. It has its ownkind of stark beauty, yes, but it lacks much.”

He let his hand fall to brush his knuckles lightly along herribs for the contact and the comfort of the touch.

Even he could hear the pain in his voice as he spoke.

“They came while we were hunting, while we were in thefields. They hunted us but mostly they hunted our women and children, those whocould not flee with us to the other plane. Not all can. And we could not leavethem.”

Mother, sisters, friends…the children. His lover, though nota mate, still beloved. Many had died in those days before he could reach them.He had been little more than a boy, just coming into manhood.

“Asmodeus, why do you want to die?”

Could she read him so well, so soon? Asmodeus went still andturned his gaze to hers. Her blue eyes were brighter than usual, there wasgrief there in them and fear.

It seemed she could.

“As you know, Templeton knows about my brothers,” Asmodeussaid. “He would have them trapped here too, to do his bidding. Imagine it—allthe Daemonae subject to his will. All our power, all our magic. Not just one ofus, but all. He has tried to break me to his will, to make me summon them, andcontinues to try when he has no other use for me. If he gains that power, allhe will need is their names and the Book to hold them. Now he hasanother hostage in you.”

He looked into her steady gaze. Her mouth tightened but shenodded, understanding what he meant.

“If he does not succeed, then my brothers may do it forhim,” he said. “Even now they sense my…distress…and sooner or later they willcome to find out the truth. Or they’ll attempt a rescue. Ashtoreth… He was oneof those the priests summoned with the Book in those early days.”

Asmodeus remembered those terrible days, knew all too wellsome fraction of what Ash had suffered in those dark and terrible dungeons.

“Templeton waits for it, has prepared for it. He has shownme the shackles that my brethren will wear. I will not see them in chains.”

“We’ll find a way out first,” she said.

“I have tried everything. So long as I wear these,” he heldup the iron bracelets on his wrists and gestured at the shackle on his ankle,“I am bound here. Even without them, there is the Book, and its bindingspells.”

“Asmodeus,” Gabriel said, softly, frowning a little, “couldyou conjure up my gun and ID the way you did the firepots?”

“I can,” he said, “all I need is the image I see in yourhead.” He looked out into the darkness, at the unseen watchers hidden there.“But not unseen.”

“We’ll find a way, Asmodeus,” Gabriel said. “We’ll figureout something. Just promise you won’t do anything. Promise me. Don’t you speakof death, or dying either. Not for yourself. Please, Asmodeus.” Gently butfirmly, as she turned on her side to look at him, Gabriel said, “Promise me,Asmodeus.”

Asmodeus smiled a little as he brushed his fingers acrossher breast and the nipple tightened.

“For you,” he said, knowing what she could not say.

He had seen the fear in her eyes, the grief and the loss.She, too, had lost those she loved and feared the loss of him now as well.

Lightly, he toyed with her nipple to distract her. His tailslid up between her thighs, wiggled entreatingly at the entrance to her coreuntil she smothered a smile at the look in his eyes and parted them.

“Demon of Lust?”

“Hmmmm,” he murmured. “Insatiable.” And he was, for her.

“Where and how do you bathe, by the way, with that on?” Shegestured to the chain on his ankle.

Suddenly water poured down and she was drenched with wateras he conjured it up. Doused, Gabriel let out a shriek and then narrowed hereyes at him.

“Like that,” he said, grinning. “Like the firepots.”

In an instant they were dry and clean.

“Very funny.”

He smiled, propped his head on his hand and leaned forwardto lick the droplets of water from her breasts, one by one.

“You know, I could quite happily feast on these for somehours.”

Giving him a look, she said, apparently puzzled, “It seemsto me, my lord Daemon, that you haven’t claimed the one service many men seekmost.”

She was closer than she knew in the title she gave him,another of the many things Asmodeus knew he must tell her someday soon.

Amused, Asmodeus said, “What service is that? I can think ofmany.”

“Oh?” she said, clearly intrigued.

“Hmmmm.”

“There is this one,” she said, as, scooting closer, shenibbled lightly at his nipple. A bright spark of pleasure shot through him asshe ran her tongue around it, sucked and nipped at it.

She slid slowly down his body, tasting his skin, her soft,warm tongue lapping at him. His belly tightened and Asmodeus found the tide hadturned on him. It was she who seduced him now.

He groaned as she dipped down to his navel so his hardeningcock nestled between her full breasts. Pressing them together around his shaft,she arched her back and rocked so her breasts stroked him. He went rock hard inthe instant she tipped her head down and licked the head of his cock as itspeared between those full white globes.

His body tightened even further as she fucked his cock withher breasts and her hot, wet mouth. She licked him like an ice-cream cone,lapped up each dot of pre-cum with a smooth glide of her tongue across the headand the slit.

Asmodeus thought he would lose his mind with the sensationof her tongue sweeping across him, the silken softness of her breasts aroundhis cock.

“Demon of Lust, my ass,” she muttered, and gave him aglinting, mischievous upward glance.

With