Sweet Revenge (Dueling with the Devil) (24 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

How the hell can she make me hard just by speaking?
Being exposed and restrained on the cold slab of rock gave Xavier an odd feeling of excitement. Except for the short stint in Lucifer’s tra
p,
this was the first time he didn’t have control. His whole world existed in orde
r,
with calculated deliberation. Handing over the reins created a new thril
l,
driving his sexual need.

Bell’s five
-
foot
-
five frame nestled between his thighs. He would give the world to touch her face. Her hands roamed from his calves to the top of his thigh
s,
then wandered up the ridges of his stomach. Pleasure pulsed under his skin from her touch.

She scooted lower. Her golden waves feathered over his leg
s,
as her silken lips grazed the junction of his groin. Xavier’s head fell back. A dee
p,
primal sound rumbled in his throa
t,
as his hips rose toward her wicked mouth. Her tongue traced a line down to his swollen balls. Her velvet soft cheek caressed his rock hard shaft. He trembled from the fervid need ravaging his body. The only thing keeping him from coming off the table w
ere
the worn leather straps buckled at his wrists.

If I wasn’t a demo
n,
I would call out to Go
d,
because only he can deliver this much ecstasy.
Bell gripped the base of his cock. Her fingers barely wrapped around his girt
h,
his flesh throbbed in her palm. Bell played a slow up and down rhythm. Each pump of her fist drained the blood from his extremitie
s,
forcing it to his aching bulge. Xavier closed his eye
s,
trying to control his rising desire. An animalistic growl tore from his throat when her tongue twirled around the head of his shaft.

Her ho
t,
wet mouth sheathed his cock. Xavier bit into his lip. The metallic taste of blood dribbled on his tongue. He involuntarily bucked into the warm abyss. She expertly swallowed him further. Curling her lips over her teet
h,
she quickly pulled up his lengt
h,
creating an erotic suctio
n,
charming his seed to the tip of his cock. Bell’s mouth and hands worked in a wicked collaboratio
n,
taunting him to the edge of insanity.

Xavier yearned to touch he
r,
grasp the back of her hea
d,
and tangle his fingers in her thic
k,
blonde tresses. The loss of control heightened the eroticism. Every time the binds constrained his action
s,
he sank deeper into her spell. Tremors raked through his body. With each stroke of her luscious lip
s,
his ass rose from the cold stone. Again and agai
n,
she took him in to the hilt. The rushing sound of blood surged in his head. His heart pounded so har
d,
he feared it might burst in his chest.

She tensed when the beast hidden inside him released a feral roar. He felt Bell smil
e,
pleased with her torture. Her grip tightened around his shaft. She quickened her movements. A spasm knotted his muscles. Bell’s teeth scrapped the tip of his cock. Her tongue
caressed
the spot she grazed. Before his mind recovered from its hazed blis
s,
she swallowed every inch of him. Her mouth slowly traveled upwar
d,
milking hi
m,
and Xavier reached the end of his sanity.

He thrust into her sinful kiss. She didn’t flinc
h,
only fixed her lips to allow him to glide in without obstruction. Her head bobbed up and down. He stroked her mouth in tandem with her motion. On her next upward swee
p,
he froze.

Bursts of light and color impeded Xavier’s vision. He closed his eyes
.“
Bell..
.”
he whispered harshly. With one last strok
e,
Xavier yielded to the euphoric bliss of his release.

Xavier struggled to navigate out of the wake of his climax. When he opened his eye
s,
Bell’s steady gaze met his. The passion locked behind her expression set him on fire. She climbed onto his la
p,
licked the remnants of his satisfaction from her mout
h,
and circled her arms around his neck. With unabated desir
e,
Xavier ravaged her in a kiss. His salty taste lingered in her mouth. As they came up gasping for ai
r,
he cringed when she backed away.

Bell scooted to the ground. She rounded the table and unbound his wrists. A feeling of freedom washed over him. Xavier pounced off the sla
b,
catching her around the waist. He molded her to hi
m,
inhaling her fragrance. She smelled of arousal. His cock pulsed at the want simmering beneath her surfac
e,
the longing in her smoldering gaze.

He palmed her firm as
s,
lifting her off the floo
r,
grinding his growing hard-on against the rough fabric of her jeans. She absorbed the raw lust in his kiss. Her tongue explored his mouth with wild abandon. The thin silk of her shirt failed to hide the hardened peaks of her
b
r
ea
s
ts as they brushed against his chest. The soft murmur of her words faded in the thunder of her drumming heart.

Small hands shoved on his chest. She turned her head to break the all-consuming vortex of their kiss. Bell gasped for air. Xavier’s body resented her abrupt interruption. His own lungs struggled to revert to their normal pace. She straightened her ar
m,
extending the distance between them.

“
We have to stop
.”
Her words fumbled out.

“
The hell we d
o
,
”
Xavier barked.

She petted his chest like an animal being soothed
.“
We’ll
f
i
n
i
s
h
t
h
i
s
w
h
e
n
y
o
u
c
o
m
e
b
ac
k
t
o
m
e
.
”

Xavier glared at he
r,
angered and confused
.“
Nope. We finish this now
.”
He spu
n,
trapping her against the stone.

She kicked at hi
m,
when Xavier tossed her on the cold hard rock. Her delightful laughter filled the dark dungeon with light. His heart melted to hear the happiness in her voice. Xavier snatched her by her belt loops and slid her to the edge of the surface. He leaned down for a kis
s,
she pushed him away. Scooping her u
p,
he stole what he wanted. She wiggled in his arms trying to escap
e,
but he refused to release her.

When he came up for ai
r,
she warne
d,
“
You’re gonna regret this if you don’t let me go
.
”

Xavier squeezed her tighter
.“
I’ve regretted a lot of things. Being without you doesn’t top the list
.
”

“
Put me dow
n,
Xavier
.
”

“
No
.
”

“
I warned you
.
”

A small jolt flowed through his body. It threw him back a couple of feet. He replaced his initial shock with laughter that echoed off the walls.

“
That was the low setting. Don’t make me turn it up
.”
She held her palm up to his abdomen.

He raised both hands in surrender
.“
Back up. Those hands are lethal
.
”

Bell grinned
.“
It’s time to get you upstairs. You come back to me in one piec
e,
then we’ll finish our session. I might even find an outfit more suited for our little role play
.
”

“
Leather
?
”

“
Maybe. But you have to come back to see
.
”

He pressed his body against her
s,
enjoying his scent in her hair. His tongue lapped the vein pulsing in her throat. He nipped at her lobe and whispered in her ea
r,
“
I’ll always return to you
.
”

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Bell joined the other females on the front porch. Like a scene from a Civil War movi
e,
the womenfolk came out to see their men off to battle. Her heart weighed heav
y,
watching the two men in her life head for danger. Angel took a seat on the brick step
s,
concern stamped on her face. For the first time since she met the huma
n,
Bell connected with he
r,
understood her pain. Even wors
e,
Bell experienced a new emotion—guilt. She had dropped this problem in Angel’s lap.

Bell and Angel stayed on the step
s,
staring at the spot where the vehicle had been parked. The guys left
more than
five minutes ago. A hand rested on Bell’s shoulder. Marie’s voice startled her
.“
You cannot just sit here waiting for them to return. We have work to do
.
”

Bell pushed off the steps and reached down offering Angel her hand. The girl studied Bell skeptically before accepting
.“
Thank
s
,
”
Angel sai
d,
brushing off the back of her jeans.

Insid
e,
Isis posed beside the banister in her usual regal stance
.“
Come ladies. We’ll have some coffee and make some plans of our own. If we leave the men to handle their own affair
s,
we’ll all be in Lucifer’s retched tar pits
.
”

Bell scrunched her forehead in confusion
.“
How are we g
o
in
g
to
h
e
l
p
t
h
e
m
?
”

“
They fight with brute strength. Wome
n,
we fight with our intelligence. S
o,
we’ll find the
m,
watch them and give them a little magical help when needed. What they don’t know won’t hurt them
.”
Marie and Isis laughed.

“
Grand-mèr
e,
do you do this a lot
?”
Angel asked.

“
Not so much now that I do not have a man to worry afte
r,
but in the past I have
.
”

Isis poured black coffee into their cups. The comforting aroma wafted throughout the room
.“
You young ones must learn how to keep your men alive. You think Leviathan survived this long by himself? No. When he runs off on his battle
s,
I watch after him to provide him some guidance or protection. Lucifer would’ve captured that fool of a demon long ago without me
.
”

Angel shook her head
.“
Is this what I have to look forward to
?
”

“
Yes. Both you ladies are stuck with Toussant men. S
o,
watch and learn if you plan to keep them around for any length of time
.
”

Bell folded her leg under he
r,
as she sipped the strong blend with the hint of chicory. The liquid warmed her inside
s,
or maybe it was the possibility of finally settling down. She never imagined being with one man would bring her comfort or happiness. But the idea of a life with Xavier did. On the other han
d,
the threat of losing him terrified her. Bell planned to learn well from the elder females. Only one problem. Bell didn’t possess the magic they welded. Her powers were triggered by sex and only lasted a short time.

“
What are you concerned about
?”
Marie studied Bell over the rim of her cup.

Bell squirmed in her sea
t,
not wanting to share. She still didn’t fully trust these females. She had spent the last few months scheming against them. She doubted they just forgave and forgot. An
d,
she had planned to kil
l,
or at least severely injur
e,
Angel. Bell needed to keep a few things on the lo
w,
until she assessed where everyone stood.

Bell flashed a grim smile at Marie
.“
I’m just worried about the guys. I’m not sure how much I can help
.
”

Isis interjecte
d,
“
Your mother has never helped you with your powers
?
”

“
No
.”
Bell flushed with embarrassment at her answer.

“
She must have been afraid you would use them against
h
e
r
.
”

“
Why would I do that? Plus her powers are much greater than mine
.
”

“
Darlin
g,
you must have no idea of the extent of your gifts. Your mother is Lilith. Your father is a Prince of Hell. You think a mating such as theirs garnered a child with subpar powers? There is a reason your mother chose your father as her mate. She is always deliberate in her actions. She didn’t anticipate you and Laurent would turn against her for getting rid of your father
.
”

Bell had trouble processing the information. She was stron
g,
able to channel a large amount of energy when she was at her bes
t,
usually for a few hours after a sexual encounter. But outside of tha
t,
and her normal fighting abilities she trained hard to maintai
n,
Bell had nothing special.

“
Don’t worry. We will help you unveil all your power. No
w,
drink up. We have a busy day ahead of us
.”
Isis patted Bell’s hand quickly.

Bell slid down in her chair. Her mind race
d,
a million memories replayed like a home movie. She searched for some clue or suggestion from her mother through the year
s,
knowing she would never find one. Her mother was the resident expert in deception. Her mother even taught a class about it at the academy once. If anyone doubted her mother’s abilitie
s,
they should go find Adam and get his story. Or her father for that matter.

t t t

Marie converted Etienne’s library into her sanctuar
y,
including turning the buffet into an ancestral altar. Isis entered the room in a long white gown with gold banding and cords. Her golden crown sat upon her dark braids. The candlelight reflected off the shiny meta
l,
casting a soft honey glow over her olive skin. Angel and Bell waited in the corner of the room for instructions. Marie donned a purple tunic dres
s,
cinched at the waist with a colorful swath of material in varying shades of lavender and grey. The turban holding her ligh
t,
brown hair was cut from the same fabric as the belt at her waist. Bell felt underdressed in her jeans and t-shirt.

“
Come her
e,
child
.”
Isis pointed to the pillow next to the spot where she knelt.

Bell
tiptoed
over to the goddess and lowered herself to the floor. Marie beckoned Angel to take the empty seat across from Bell. With each of them in plac
e,
they created the elemental point
s,
representing eart
h,
win
d,
wate
r,
and fire. In front of Bel
l,
a lit candle signified fire.

Marie lifted her vial of water
.“
We call on the power of Mother Eart
h,
the one who blessed us with the abundant oceans filled with life. We ask her assistance to open this child to the full strength of her gifts
.
”

Isis raised the small pot of soil
.“
We call on the power of Mother Earth who feeds the soil to sustain us. We ask her guidance to help this child tap into the source of her greatness
.
”

Angel picked up her seemingly empty jar
.“
I call to the winds fueled by Mother Earth. We ask you to help Bell find the strength that hides within her
.
”

All eyes turned to Bell. She wasn’t the hocus pocus typ
e,
but she didn’t want to piss off Marie and Isis. They could be a little crazy at times. She hesitate
d,
not sure of the words to use. Slowl
y,
she brought the candle to her lap. She checked the waiting faces before she spok
e,
getting the nod from Isis
.“
I pray to the keeper of the Eternal Flam
e,
Mother Earth. I seek your direction to journey the road to unleash the power buried inside me. Show me how to release i
t,
control i
t,
and use it
.”

Isis poured green liquid into a cu
p,
held it up to some unseen deit
y,
and mumbled words Bell couldn’t make out. Handing the cup to Bel
l,
she commande
d,
“
Drink
.
”

Bell sniffed the steaming drink. Nothing. She took a sip to
t
a
s
t
e
i
t
.
Still nothing.

“
Drin
k
,
”
Isis repeated.

The war
m,
tasteless concoction rolled down her throat. The heat of it radiated from her stomach to every crevice of her body. Marie and Isis reached out to Bell and Ange
l,
taking their hands and forming a circle. Their chanting grew louder by the moment. Sweat poured from Bell. Heat flared within her bod
y,
burning her inside
s,
as if she might spontaneously combust. Tremors began in her feet and traveled up her legs. The shaking overtook her body. Bell dropped forward. The cypress floors scraped against her fac
e,
as her body convulsed uncontrollably.

“
Grab her head and shoulder
s
,
”
Isis ordered.

Angel’s knees clamped over Bell’s ears. Marie straddled her midsection and shoved a stalk of cane into her mouth to prevent her from swallowing her tongue. The convulsions subside
d,
replaced by immense heat. Blood boiled in her vein
s,
molten lava poured from her core. The women released Bel
l,
jumping away as if scorched by the sun.

Isis’s steady voice filtered through the pain of Bell’s organs being consumed in flames
.“
Isabella. Bel
l,
you must control your body and your emotions. Don’t not allow it to take you. Fight it
.
”

Bell didn’t know wher
e,
or ho
w,
to start. The blaze roared inside he
r,
slowly engulfing her.

“
Isabell
a,
focus on my voice and go to where I tell you
.”
The command forced itself beyond Bell’s barriers
.“
Concentrate on the ones you love. You have to come back to them. Think about the pain it would cause if they lost yo
u,
the same pain you felt when Laurent passed to the Afterlife
.
”

Hot white pain blinded her to the increasing temperature. The memory of her brother’s death ripped through her
conscience
. The thought of bringing such sorrow to other
s,
especially her father and Xavie
r,
invoked a new strength inside of her. She calmed her min
d,
concentrated on dissipating the fir
e,
and slowed her rapid heartbeat to a reasonable pace.