Larissa Ione - Rogue Rider

He dragged in a ragged breath, taking in her scent, seeking a sign that she might be fertile, because it was forbidden for an angel to breed with a human. But all he got was a rich, spicy aroma, as if a flower had bloomed in a field of cardamom.

Her lips were velvet against his, her tongue silk. She arched, pressing the length of her remarkable body into his. Her breasts flattened against his chest, her nipples rubbing, and he wondered how they’d taste. Her core met his hard staff, and he hissed at the contact. He felt her smile, and then she stepped back, breaking away from him so abruptly he nearly lost his balance.

Which only made sense, since this female had him off balance since she’d arrived.

“Farewell,” she murmured. “I’ll return on the morrow, if you’d care to join me.”

With that, she strolled into the forest, disappearing before he could so much as catch his breath.

Tomorrow. Maybe once his head cleared, he’d decide it was a bad idea to meet her, but right now he was wondering how to make the sun rise faster.

Lilith was in dire need of sex by the time she arrived at the shack she shared with her sister, Sabbet. She hated living in the human realm, but until a succubus of her species became pregnant, she couldn’t make a proper home in Sheoul. And the bitch of it was that her species wasn’t fertile until somewhere between their five hundredth and one thousandth year.

She found Sabbet midcoitus with a half-demon male who had serviced them for decades when they were too lazy to find a human male to fuck. Sabbet continued to ride the male, Ashan, who was on his back on her pallet, as Lilith entered the shack. The scent of sex drove Lilith mad with want, and she clenched her teeth against the desire to either shove Sabbet off the demon or go back to the pool to see if Yenrieth was still there.

She would do neither. Just a few days ago, she’d have spent hours with Ashan, but she was saving herself for Yenrieth.

Saving herself? She shook her head to clear it. Why in the name of all that was unholy would she save herself?

Frustrated, she snarled, kicking the demon as she strode past, seeking the flagon of wine they kept on their rickety wooden table. She drank deeply, hoping the liquid would ease the fever in her body. Yenrieth’s kiss had stirred her into a frenzy, and it had taken more self-control than she’d ever needed to keep from palming his cock while they kissed. Visions of dropping to her knees and taking him in her mouth had filled her head. She took almost as much pleasure from watching a male come as she did from coming herself, and she instinctively knew that Yenrieth’s climax would be nothing short of remarkable. His hard body would strain, and all that magnificent vitality and strength would be unleashed inside her.

Finally, the sounds of sex reached the peak, and a moment later, Sabbet joined Lilith at the table, wrapped in a sheer robe. Ashan dressed quickly and scurried out the door.

“Where have you been?” Sabbet asked.

“I was seducing an angel.”

Sabbet went taut, her eyes narrowing into angry silver slits. “Yenrieth?”

Interesting. “Yes. Why?”

Sabbet’s hiss sprayed droplets of spittle. “I want him for my heat.”

“Your—” Lilith sucked in a breath.

Heat . Dear dark lord, that was what was wrong with her. It also explained why she’d walked away from him instead of pressuring him into copulation. A breeding succubus needed a male to be as worked up and fertile as possible when she took his seed.

Her fingers fluttered to her belly, which, if things went right, would soon be swollen with an angel’s baby. And oh, giving birth to the offspring of an angel would take her far in Sheoul. She could use the child in so many ways to bring herself power and glory.

Smiling, she brought the clay flagon to her lips, but Sabbet knocked it away, spilling wine the color of blood down Lilith’s chest.

“Stay away from him,” Sabbet growled. “He’s mine.”

Fury twisted Lilith’s heart, wringing out every drop of affection for her sister. Now was not the time to play fair. This was Lilith’s future at stake, and the angel’s passion would secure it.

Spinning, she grabbed one of the knives hanging on the wall and brought it down in the soft spot between Sabbet’s neck and shoulder. Her sister screamed, then screamed louder when Lilith plunged the dagger into her abdomen. Sabbet staggered backward, tripping over her pallet and crumpling to the ground. Lilith fell with her, stabbing over and over into her sister’s belly, reveling in the grotesque, squishy sounds.

When her sister fell silent, Lilith stood, bathed in blood. Oh, how she’d love to get Yenrieth here to fuck in the slippery warmth. Not that he would. Angels, by all accounts, tended to be prissy.

Lilith licked the blade as she hovered over what was left of her sister. Oh, Sabbet would recover in time, but it would be a decade, at least, before her ruined womb could support a child. By then, her heat would have passed and she’d have to wait another couple of centuries for another. In the meantime, Lilith would become a force to be reckoned with, and Sabbet wouldn’t dare challenge her once she arrived in Sheoul.

Oh, yes, Lilith had it all figured out. If all went according to plan, she would become a legend in Sheoul, practically godlike… perhaps she could even take a place next to the dark lord himself.

All she needed was Yenrieth. And tomorrow she would have him.

Yenrieth spent the longest day of his life in the forest hunting hellrats with Verrine. She’d noticed he’d been distracted, and she kept asking what had happened and if there was something she could do to help. How could he tell her that the only thing on his mind was wicked, raw sex with a woman who all but oozed sensuality?

No, Verrine, who hadn’t yet been intimate with a man, would have no understanding of the pleasures of the body. He’d asked her once why she’d never bedded a male, not even during the maddening cycle of maturity when an angel grew his or her wings. Sex could hasten the painful process… or in the very least, take one’s mind off it.

But Verrine had simply shrugged and said she was waiting for the right male. She was an angel of justice in training, so Yenrieth figured that maybe she saw consequences more clearly than others. Possible, he supposed, since, as a battle angel, he was much more prone to hard living, ruthlessness, and rash actions.

And true to his nature, he’d acted rashly and he’d kissed Verrine. Today. In the forest. He was still kicking himself for that. But when she’d touched his cheek with the greatest of care, asking him what was weighing so heavily on his mind, he couldn’t tell her the truth. So he’d kissed her.

It had been the sweetest kiss he’d ever shared with anyone. For a few heartbeats, Verrine had wiped Lilith from his thoughts. The desire that had been coursing through his veins all night and into the morning had shifted into something less frantic but no less heated.

Then Verrine had torn away from him, her eyes wild, her entire being wrought with distress. Before he could apologize, she’d flashed away, leaving him feeling like a brutal clod. She’d been waiting for the right male to take her to bed… what if she’d been waiting for the right male for her first kiss too?

Ashamed, he thought about going after her, but he doubted she’d be receptive to his apology right now. Or ever.

Yenrieth cursed himself for a fool and flashed to the pool, needing a distraction. Lilith would be perfect for that.

Sure enough, the moment he caught sight of her, his rashness with Verrine melted away, leaving his focus narrowed on the naked female swimming with leisurely abandon. He remained at the edge of the clearing, his heart pounding in a nervous, erratic rhythm. He was never nervous, especially with females, but this one left him dangerously off kilter.