Darkness Becomes Her (5 page)

Something nudged his jaw, flicked against his lips. Lost in Heidi’s sweet cunt, Varin ignored it, until it prodded at him again and he swirled his tongue over the intrusion. It was a finger, he realized through a heavy fog of lust and delight. A masculine finger.

He drew back just long enough to take in Luke’s position. The man lay on the ground in a semi-circle, tucked around Heidi’s legs. His lips slid up the outside of her thigh while his hand delved into the tight crevice of her ass and slipped lower, where his fingers had met Varin’s mouth.

He offered a shaky smile when he noticed Varin watching him. His free hand slipped over Varin’s groin to clamp around the root of his shaft. Varin sucked in a breath between his teeth as Luke stroked the delicate flesh over his straining erection, pumping his fist up and down the thick length.

“Together,” Luke murmured. “We’ll help her remember who she is.
Together
.”

The last word held a hint of a threat. If there was one thing Varin had learned about Luke in the past two weeks, it was that although he looked easy-going and eager to please, he was relentless when it came to protecting Heidi. Her safety was his first priority, and he was willing to do whatever it took to ensure she got out of here alive.

Varin nodded and slipped his fingers between Heidi’s glistening nether lips, gathering some of her natural liquid. He backed off a little, giving Luke room to play with her cunt. Reaching up, he smeared some of the heavy-scented cream over the top of her breasts. Her nipples pebbled, darting out stiffly to prod against her tight leather bustier.

Glittering beads of sweat had gathered between Heidi’s breasts. A drop trickled down into the shadows inside the deep valley, where he couldn’t follow. Varin pulled down the edge of her bustier, revealing a darkened areola.

“Wow,” Heidi murmured. “Oh… Wow.”

Luke thrust two fingers inside her eager cunt. Heidi’s thighs trembled and her breathing grew frantic as a flush crept up the column of her throat to highlight her high, pale cheekbones. Intoxicated by her eager response to their ministrations, Varin nudged the top of her mound with his lips.

She quivered, hovering on the edge of release. As Luke thrust harder, Varin pulled up the tender hood covering her clit with one hand, while tugging down her bustier with the other.

Her breast popped free. Varin swirled his tongue around the engorged nub of her clit, drawing a shuddering cry from Heidi’s throat. With his other hand, he cupped her plump breast and sought out her nipple, which he pinched between thumb and forefinger.

The pulsing waves of Heidi’s orgasm rippled through Varin’s lips as her cunt fluttered and her body trembled with the intensity of her release. He squeezed her nipple harder, plucking at it, stiffening the tight bud. Each time, his fingers met with hard resistance. He tried to swipe it away, taking it for part of the bustier, but the hard casing around her nipple didn’t budge.

When he was certain her climax had peaked, Varin pulled away and looked up at the fleshy globe he’d revealed by yanking off part of the bustier.

Her breasts were as perfect as he remembered. So white he could see the faint blue veins beneath the surface of her skin, with dark, large areolas and nipples so stiff and elongated they begged to be sucked, Heidi’s breasts were easily the most magnificent he’d ever seen.

The golden chain that bound her nipples between two narrow clamps also looked just like he remembered. Except that the last time he’d seen it, it had adorned another set of breasts… the breasts of a woman who’d betrayed him and had caused his downfall in the eyes of his Lord.

He should have learned from his mistakes. He was here because he’d fallen for a mortal -- a woman who’d ultimately been the cause of centuries of torment.

Varin tugged and rolled the delicate chain between his thumb and forefinger, watching Heidi flinch at the pain.

Now, it was happening again. And this time, Varin doubted he’d survive the fall.

Chapter Four

Now
this
she remembered.

A spear of sensation lanced from her nipples straight down to her cunt as the dark-haired man tugged at the chain binding her breasts. She moaned, relishing the sharp stab of pleasure/pain that stirred a fresh wave of almost unbearable arousal to coil in her cunt.

“Your names. Tell me your names.” She’d meant to sound demanding, but the words came out on a plea.

A fragile smile touched the corners of the younger man’s mouth. He opened his mouth to answer, but the other man was faster. “We have no names. We’ll answer to whatever you choose to call us.”

Heidi tilted her head and watched him from beneath lowered lashes. Her body still buzzed with the afterglow of release, and her limbs quivered slightly. She needed to lie down, but she didn’t dare show weakness in front of these men who knew her as their mistress.

She still held a fistful of dark hair gripped tightly in her hand. Releasing it, she slipped her fingers through the man’s silky locks and traced the angry purple mark of a livid bruise on his temple. The wound stood out in sharp contrast to the suppleness of his naturally tanned skin. She took in the angular line of his jaw and midnight-black eyes, the long lashes that framed them and the high cheekbones that give him a haughty, stubborn look.

This wasn’t a man used to taking orders. Not from Baal, and certainly not from her.

Heidi frowned. His striking appearance and smoldering, defiant confidence seemed to touch a part of her that had been hidden away, locked behind a solid façade she couldn’t seem to penetrate on her own. She’d need his help if she was to learn more about herself.

And judging by his earlier display, penetrating was definitely one of his strong suits.

“What should I call you?” she mused aloud, caressing the side of that chiseled face. “Nero? Adam? Seth?”

The dark orbs grew blacker yet, sending a chill down her spine. He palmed her breast, swirling the tip of his index finger around her areola. From her vantage point, she could see the dusky tips of her nipple lengthening and hardening beneath his ministrations. It poked out from the stiff golden clamp that bound it, engorged and eager for more of his touch.

“None of those sound right,” he said. “Try again. You’ll find one that fits.”

“You know us,” his companion said. “Think of what you’ve called us in the past. It will come to you, if you let it.”

She shook her head. “I’m afraid nothing’s coming to me. Not your names. Not my past. Nothing.”

“Don’t force it. There’s no rush.”

But there was a rush. An urgency to --

What? She didn’t know. The thought that she was needed somewhere fluttered like the ethereal wings of a butterfly through her mind and disappeared just as quickly as it came, leaving nothing in its wake but the lingering sensations of pure bliss that still thrummed deep in her pussy.

The golden-haired man pressed a soft kiss to the back of her thigh. He swirled his tongue downward, behind her knee, where it sent a swift ticklish sensation to flutter up her leg. She laughed aloud, the sound pealing off the cavern walls, startlingly intense in the confines of the dark room.

“It’s good to hear you laugh.”

She couldn’t see the younger man as his head was ducked behind her, but she could picture the smile on his face as he spoke.

Heidi frowned. This entire experience was getting stranger by the moment. As a demon princess, she would have been cruel and vicious, eager to deliver torture and torment to anyone in her path. Yet these men acted as though they were glad to see her. Pleasuring her didn’t seem to be much of a hardship for them, either, even with the threat of rapidly approaching death looming overhead.

Her throat constricted with uncertainty. She needed to know for sure whether what Baal had told her was true. If these men truly were her slaves to do with as she wished, then by all rights they should have been terrified of her.

Closing her eyes against the storm in the dark-haired man’s black gaze, Heidi pulled her hand from his hair and turned her palm upright. Joining the tip of her thumb to her index finger, she uttered a rapid-fire barrage of words of power.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Heidi opened her eyes. Slowly, as she watched, the lava trickling down the walls separated from the phosphoric rock and gathered in a ball of liquid fire. It hovered in mid-air for only a moment, just long enough for the scorching sphere to reflect in the dark man’s eyes.

After that, everything seemed to happen at once. The ball of lava exploded in a flurry of sparks that flew at them in a shower of fury. Both men leapt from the ground and tackled Heidi with identical guttural cries of fear and rage, shoving her down onto the rock floor and covering her body with theirs.

One -- or perhaps both -- of them screamed as the first drops of liquid fire charred their flesh. Their howls of pain echoed in her ears, pummeling the part of her brain that refused to awaken. Still, she lay protected beneath them, sheltered by their strong bodies even as they took the brunt of the punishment.

Varin. Luke. Oh, God
.

For a moment, Heidi’s world stood still as comprehension dawned in a flash as hot as the lava she’d hurled at them. Heidi wasn’t sure when she’d started shouting, but the words that would reverse the spell tumbled from her mouth at a frantic pace.

And then the brief shot of clarity vanished, leaving her struggling to breathe. She heaved deep, hollow gasps of air, laboring to fill her lungs. Tears flowed down her face. She felt the dark makeup begin to drip and knew her cheeks had to be smeared with the stuff, but she didn’t care. She thought of nothing but the men lying on top of her, groaning in agony, yet unwilling to move from their spot as her protectors.

“I’m sorry. So, so sorry.” Tears flowed into her mouth, but whether they were hers or theirs, she couldn’t tell. She tasted salt on the tip of her tongue. Closing her eyes, she summoned forth a healing spell. Most of the brilliant blue trickles of carnal energy that had gathered from the force of her orgasm had been used in the last spell and its reversal.

She’d need more to heal them completely. Steeling her nerves, she put what little magic she had to good use, gathering the frayed threads and guiding the ethereal gauze along the tender, scorched skin of both men’s backs.

“Luke.” The name fit the golden-haired man perfectly. Her brief brush with lucidity had given her that much, at least. A name to put with the face and body that had captivated her since she’d awakened in this chamber.

She paid close attention to closing the lesions on his flesh before moving on to his companion’s skin. His wounds went deeper, and she realized he’d somehow managed to throw himself atop both of them while angling his body to take the brunt of the liquid flames. He’d covered part of Luke’s ribcage, ass and upper thigh with his own body in an effort to shelter both Luke and Heidi from the fiery storm.

As she worked, the men’s breathing returned to normal. She closed her eyes and smoothed the last of the magical energy over their skin, ensuring she’d fused the worst of the wounds she’d inflicted.

“So much for not hurting you.” She sighed, suddenly feeling foolish and vulnerable. She didn’t fully comprehend what had just happened, but she knew she was in way over her head. Without understanding who or what she really was, she didn’t stand a chance of outwitting Baal and figuring out why these men were so protective of her.

The rough scrape of stubble caressed her chin. She shifted her head slightly, her lips brushing against a warm, soft mouth.

“Varin.” She rolled his name on her tongue, savoring the feel of it as it slid from her lips.

He sucked in a harsh breath between clenched teeth and lifted himself up slightly, just enough to angle his mouth over hers. His hot tongue probed her lips, demanding entry. She gave it willingly as Luke nuzzled her neck, leaving a trail of soft, delicious kisses in his wake.

“I knew you’d remember,” Luke whispered in her ear.

She squeezed her eyes shut against the sting of tears. How could she tell them she didn’t remember a thing beyond their names? They certainly remembered her, and whatever was going on ran much deeper than Baal had led her to believe.

There was simply no way she could have been training these men to give their lives for her. Could she?

Icy tendrils scraped down her spine. No… not unless she was so cruel and heartless that she could trick them into caring for her, perhaps even loving her, before killing them anyway.

She clung to Varin fiercely, slipping her tongue against his. No. She refused to believe she was capable of doing something so diabolical.

Every royal demon has horns, princess
.

She shuddered at the memory of Baal’s words. As the mate of the ruler to the Underworld, she would have had to be capable of doing horrible things. Baal wouldn’t have chosen her to be his queen because of her warm and fuzzy demeanor.

“So sweet,” Varin murmured against her lips.

“Like soft, velvety chocolate. She melts in your mouth.”

Their words so sharply contrasted with her thoughts that she stiffened, painfully aware of the confusion swirling within her. Demons weren’t sweet. They were bitter and acidic all the way down to their black little hearts.

So if these men thought she was as saccharine as a piece of hot fudge… who was she -- really?

Heidi turned her head away from Varin’s and pressed her mouth to Luke’s. The sensation of her soft, silky lips against his caused a jolt of heat to slam into Luke’s cock. It hardened instantly, painfully erect against the softness of her thigh.

Prickles of stinging pain still traveled up and down his back, marking every spot where the lava had scorched his skin. Heidi had done a remarkable job of mending the torn flesh, but the ghostly awareness of the wounds continued to flare, like an unseen menace just beneath the top layer of his skin.

At least he was no longer chilled to the bone.

The memory of flaming agony zinging down his back melded with the sensual ecstasy of Heidi’s tongue prodding his, drenching him in overwhelming lust. It was so easy to lose himself in her, to give in to the elation flaring to life within him.

He’d dreamed of this every day since being ripped from her side. She’d been his lifeline, his reason for holding on through endless hours of unspeakable torture. Over the past two weeks, he’d had Varin, and the man had managed to ease the gnawing loneliness Heidi’s absence had left behind in Luke’s soul. But nothing compared to having her in his arms.

He’d forgotten the soft, breathy moans she emitted when he kissed her, and the way her hips thrust upward of their own accord, seeking his cock, his fingers, the heel of his hand.

When he skimmed his fingertips across her lower belly to give her what she craved, he found that Varin had beaten him to the ultimate prize. He’d been quicker, having already nestled his fingers in the warm, moist heat of Heidi’s cunt.

Luke cupped Varin’s hand with his own, guiding his lover’s fingers inside the woman who’d changed them both. She’d rescued them already, whether she knew it or not. She’d been Luke’s redemption, offering him salvation from his sins.

She’d done something to Varin, too. Ever since meeting her, there was a fire burning in Varin’s dark eyes that stole the breath from Luke’s lungs every time he glimpsed it. Varin might not have wanted to admit it, but it was clear that Heidi had given him a reason to live.

Luke couldn’t fault Varin for falling for her. Hell, she’d completely sucked Luke into her sensual web as well. She’d won his heart from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. He had no right to lay any claim to her, but more than that, he
enjoyed
sharing her with Varin.

Now, he’d do it again. And together, they’d evoke memories of what they’d shared. He only prayed it wasn’t too late to remind her of who she was.

A long, breathy sigh of ecstasy escaped Heidi’s lips. She ground her mound against Varin and Luke’s joined hands, grinding her clit into Varin’s palm. Luke dipped his fingers lower, pushing his way between the lips of her sex. Her labia was soaked, dripping wet with her arousal.

“I don’t understand any of this,” she said when Luke pulled back, freeing her lips.

“Right now, you don’t need to.” Luke swirled his tongue around her earlobe, then nibbled on the tender flesh. “Just feel.”

“But why --”

“Because we want to,” Varin growled. “That will have to be enough.”

She opened her mouth, looking like she was about to protest. Then her head rolled back against the floor and her spine arched, her body shuddering delicately as a tremor ran through her.

“I can’t do this.” Her head thrashed from side to side, her bare nipple scraping Luke’s chest as she struggled.

Varin growled low in his throat. They both held her pressed down, trapped beneath their bodies.

Heidi fought them only with her hands, not resorting to the magic that danced faintly across her fingertips.

At last, Varin pushed himself off her. His handsome face remained expressionless, but Luke could clearly make out the turmoil rolling in the depths of his black gaze.

Varin didn’t want to let Heidi go. Hell, Luke couldn’t blame him. For his part, Luke refused to move, relishing the feel of Heidi’s soft curves against his chest, the warmth of her thigh pressed to his aching groin.

She squirmed and pushed him aside. Groaning, Luke rolled onto his back.

“You heard Baal.” Heidi sat up and shook out her mane of red curls. She tossed a haughty, arrogant glare at each man, but her lashes fluttered and her tone hadn’t been nearly as confident as she’d clearly hoped. “You’re here to please me. You have to do as I say.”

Luke sat up and propped himself on his outstretched arms. He quirked an eyebrow, but didn’t fail to notice the way Varin’s lip curled.

“What would you have us do, Mistress?” Luke asked, imbuing the question with as much genuine reverence as he could muster. It wasn’t a difficult task, considering he’d have done anything to have her luscious body crammed up closely against his again.