Ask the Oracle (27 page)
Authors: JJ Black
Tags: #Erotic Romance eBooks Totally Bound eBooks Books Romance
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gaping asshole still dripping with my cum. Nobody would doubt that you were mine if they
saw you like this.”
Gray whimpered, not sure if he was repulsed by the idea or turned on. Dreo merely
smirked at his response. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. This body is for my eyes alone. I will be
the only one who gets the benefit of seeing your lust-blown eyes and kiss-swollen lips. I
suppose I will just have to find another way of showing everyone who you belong to.”
“Whatever you say,” Gray answered dismissively, trying to calm his racing heart. “As
long as it doesn’t involve wearing your bodily fluids, I’m willing to consider it.”
Dreo chuckled, walking over to their pile of discarded clothes. He handed Gray his
pants and shirt, before starting to pull on his own. “No. No bodily fluids, but you’ll definitely
need to wear something of mine. I do need to stake my claim, after all. No, I was thinking
more along the lines of a ring.” Dreo arched a questioning brow.
“A r-ring?” Gray stammered, shock making speech more difficult than it should have
been. “What kind of ring?”
“This kind.” Dreo reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metal box. Holding it
out to Gray, he lifted the lid, revealing a round band made of what appeared to be moulded
amber.
“What is—?”
“The ring is made of a special substance called
democilotite
. Believe it or not, it starts out
as ordinary stone. Every Demon is charged with choosing their own. Once chosen, the
mineral is then heated and formed while in the midst of a Demon’s hellfire. It is customary
that when a Demon meets their true mate, they create such a band as a token of their
devotion.”
“You mean, you made this…for me?”
Dreo smiled. “Yes. Every Demon makes their mate’s ring from their own hellfire. The
stone is able to absorb some of our magic from the fire, imbibing it with additional spells of
protection.”
Reaching out, Gray hesitantly ran a finger over the smooth surface of the band. “So,
what you’re actually saying is that, by allowing it to form within your hellfire and absorb
elements of your magic, this ring is literally a piece of you? You are giving me a piece of
yourself?”
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Smiling wider, Dreo cupped Gray’s cheek. “Yes.”
Gray sucked in a breath. “Wow. I’ve got to say—best gift ever.”
“So, Grayson Muir,” Dreo murmured, holding out the box as an offering to Gray, “will
you accept my ring, as a sign of our mating and love?”
Gray’s eyes widened comically. “Are you kidding?” Reaching out a hand with near
blinding speed, Gray grabbed the ring from the box and jammed in onto his finger. “You had
better believe I’m accepting it. If you think you’re ever getting this back, you’ll have to
prying it off my cold, dead finger. You’re stuck with me, so you better just get used to it.”
The smile that formed on Dreo’s face practically lit the whole room. “I’m sure I can find
a way to come to terms with it.”
“Good,” Gray retorted gruffly, his throat thick with emotion. “Don’t think this gets you
out of making it official, though. I fully expect a bonding ceremony, with all of our friends
there to witness you making an honest man out of me. If I don’t have visual proof, nobody is
going to believe it.”
Laughing, Dreo pulled Gray into his arms. “An event where I get to show everyone that
you truly do belong to me—mind, body, and soul? I think I can manage that.”
Snuggling in deeper to Dreo’s embrace, Gray sighed, loving the feel of his mate’s arms
wrapped around him. “So,” he murmured sleepily, “what else happened after I passed out?
Is it safe to assume that Opal and Povell have been dealt with?”
Dreo’s arm tightened around him, then relaxed. “Yes,” Dreo growled menacingly.
“They have both been dealt with, although much more mercifully than either of them
deserved. Neither will be able to hurt you, ever again.”
“Opal?”
“It was a struggle but Balen was able to defeat her. Being a much better man that I, he
gave her a chance to surrender with her life. I’m pleased to say that she declined his offer and
he gifted her with true death.”
Gray couldn’t say he was sorry about that. She had been a murderous bitch.
“I guess that ends her bid at Queen of the Underworld.”
Dreo chuckled. “I does indeed. I have news on that front, if you’re interested.”
Gray froze. “Please tell me they didn’t make you Lord of the Underworld. I cannot be
Queen of the Underworld. I mean, I could, but I really, really don’t want to.” Screwing up his
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face and sticking out his lip, Gray knew he probably looked like a petulant child, but there
was no way he wanted to be trapped in Hell. Sarah would never forgive him, or herself, for
wishing him there so many times if he actually ended up having to stay there forever.
Dreo’s smile grew wider. “No, my mate. I can happily assure you that I am not going to
be the next Lord. Actually, Balen has been offered the position. Between his assistance with
the investigation and his personal connection to the last Lord, the Elders believe he is the best
choice. It is a decision I agree with, whole-heartedly.”
“And what of his initial involvement?”
“He had no involvement with the death of Lucifer. His only crime was a need to make
his father accountable for a perceived wrong. It was a family matter that I do not believe
needs to be brought to the Elders’ attention.”
Gray nodded. “Balen will be a good Lord. He just needs to believe in himself.”
“Agreed.”
“And Povell?”
“Povell met a similar end to Opal.”
“Care to elaborate?” Gray raised a questioning brow.
“Not particularly.” Dreo’s evasiveness immediately put Gray on alert. The words were
said carelessly, but it didn’t take a genius to see that Dreo was hiding something.
“Dreo…” Gray wanted answers, and his tone brooked no argument.
Dreo scowled. “Fine. When Povell blasted you, I may have been a bit…put out.”
“What the heck does that mean?”
“It means that I was pissed off, Gray. I saw you go down, my power surged in
response, I went after him and I kind of broke his neck.”
“How do you ‘kind of’ break someone’s neck?” Gray’s voice reached an octave he’d
never managed before, and hoped he never would again.
“It may have been closer to decapitation, if you want to be all technical about it.” Gray’s
mouth dropped open in shock and Dreo scowled. “What do you want me to say, Gray? The
asshole tried to kill my mate. If you want me to apologise, then you better not hold your
breath because it’s not going to happen. I would do it again, in a second. That bastard is
going to spend all of eternity suffering in the Pits, as he deserves. I have no regrets.”
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Gray would have teased him for his vehemence if he hadn’t seen the emotion brimming
in his eyes. He had no room to judge. If their situations had been reversed, Gray would have
done the exact same thing. Cupping Dreo’s jaw between his hands, Gray brought him down
into a kiss that he hoped conveyed all the love and adoration he felt for his man. When they
separated, Gray was pleased to see the slightly dazed expression on his Demon’s face.
“You have nothing to apologise for, Andreo Demos. Not one fucking thing.”
Dreo’s eyes widened and, for a moment, he looked stunned. Slowly, a smile formed on
his lips and his eyes began to shine, not with the glow of hellfire, but with happiness.
“I love you, Grayson Muir.”
“What can I say? I’m easy to love. I don’t know if anyone’s told you, but I’m kind of a
big deal. You know, me being The Oracle and all.” Gray smirked and brushed off a shoulder.
“Gray,” Dreo growled, playful, pinching him in the thigh.
“All right, all right already. Stop with the boney, pinchy fingers—I bruise easily. Of
course I love you, too. Honestly? Was there ever any doubt?”
It was Dreo’s turn to smirk. “Not really. You were just fighting fate there, at the
beginning. I knew I’d wear you down eventually. I grow on people.”
“Yeah,” Gray muttered, quietly, “like a fungus.”
“Hey! I heard that.” Dreo was trying for offended, but Gray could sense his underlying
mirth. “I have a feel that with you in my life, things will never be boring.”
“Is that a problem?” Gray raised a questioning brow.
“Hell, no.” Dreo smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:
Great Lakes Wolves: Accepting the Alpha
JJ Black
Excerpt
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Eli huffed, irritation clear in his voice.
“Oh, come on! You told me you wanted to meet the local Alpha and I wanted to go to a
club. Kellan owns the club, so I see this as a win-win situation. It’s like multi-tasking.”
Eli stared at his friend in disbelief. “You brought me to a gay bar, asshole. In case you
failed to notice, I’m straight. You honestly think this is the best place for me to approach the
Alpha about joining his pack?”
“Are you kidding?” Jai scoffed. “I can’t think of a better place than the club. The
atmosphere here is way more relaxed than a formal meeting would be. Besides, you know as
well as I do that it’s always better to approach an Alpha when he’s in a good mood.” Jai
leered, waggling his eyebrows. “Trust me. Kellan is always in a good mood here.”
Eli glared at his best friend. “Don’t you think the fact that I’m not gay is going to count
against me in a place like this?”
Shaking his head, Jai gave him a look of disgust. “Not everyone in the club is gay,
douche. Sephora is the official gathering place for the pack. Everyone comes here to hang
out—gay, straight or bi. Besides,” he added smugly, “I already told Kellan you would be
here tonight. He’s looking forward to meeting you.” With a smirk on his face, Jai turned
away, effectively dismissing Eli and his nervous rant, to check out the night’s offerings. By
the look on his face, he definitely liked what he saw.
Letting out a weary sigh, Eli leant back in his seat, taking another look around the club.
At a glance, it didn’t look that much different than any other club he had been in back home.
The main floor of the building looked more like a sports bar than a gay club. A long, oak bar
took up one wall with large flat-screen TVs mounted down the wall above. Tall, round tables
filled the central floor, while pool tables and dartboards had residence at the back of the
room. Without the higher than average number of same-sex couples holding hands or
snuggling in booths, it would have been difficult to single it out as a gay club.
The real action, however, could be found upstairs in the dance club portion of the bar,
aptly nicknamed Temptation. In Temptation, clothing seemed to be optional, as showcased
by the writhing masses of men and women pressed together in a seemingly endless display
of sweat-slick skin and groping hands. Although complete nudity was not allowed, it seemed
the patrons of the club liked to push the rule to the limit. Most of the inhabitants of the dance
floor were showing more skin than they had covered, be the men or women. For as far as the
eye could see, there was glistening skin pressed tight to glistening skin. Large male hands
groping hard male flesh. Female lips laving and teasing the feminine curve of a neck. The
occasional male-female couple could be found to round out the group, but they were most
definitely in the minority.
As the music blared and the bass rumbled like thunder, the bodies on the floor gyrated
together like limbs of a massive beast. Twisting, turning, wrapped together in intimate
embrace. The air was thick with lust and made Eli aware of just how long it had been since
he’d slaked his own. The aphrodisiac quality of it was not lost on him.
Taking in the sights, Eli was surprised when he found himself checking out just as
many of the male pleasure seekers as female. He tried to dismiss it, convinced it was nothing
more than casual appreciation. Just one man recognising the good looks of another. So what
if he focused a little too long on the rippled planes of a male abdomen or had the strangest
desire to snag a small masculine nipple between his teeth before laving the sting away with
his tongue? He wanted to chalk it up to a mere side effect of being immersed in this new
environment, where sexuality was not just encouraged, but accentuated and put on display.
He’d never experienced the kind of sexual freedom he observed within the walls of
Temptation. Surrounded by such overt expressions of homosexuality, he tried to remind
himself that this type of display couldn’t possibly turn him on. However, as his pants started