The thoughts vanished as he kept thrusting into her, taking her like she’d never been taken before.
Her body shook as his hips pistoned between her thighs. His chest rubbed her nipples even harder. She’d give anything to finally have an orgasm with Aedan.
Not her soul, though, not her soul.
He jerked and fell out of rhythm and paused, his breathing harsh.
Ericka cried out with anger and frustration.
Then he started driving into her harder than ever. Hard, hard, harder!
Oh, God, she was almost there, almost there, almost there—
“Come for me, Ericka,” was all Aedan said.
Behind her eyelids, Ericka saw pure white as if her world had just gone supernova.
She screamed.
She couldn’t think past what she was feeling. White-hot fire exploded from inside her. Aedan continued to slam into her. Tears rolled down her cheeks from the exquisite sensations.
Ericka soared to places she hadn’t been to, ever. He kept driving into her relentlessly.
His golden eyes glowed and the sight made her core clamp down on his cock even more.
“Aedan,” she cried. “Please. God, please.”
She didn’t even know what she was begging for. He’d given her the most powerful orgasm of her life. What did she want now?
His look was intense, sweat dripping down the side of his face.
Her spasms went on until they faded, then started to build up again. “Come, Ericka,” he said. “I want to see your eyes when you climax again.”
She hadn’t thought another orgasm could be even more intense than the last one. But it was. It was almost too intense. Her whole body shook and she cried his name over and over again.
A few more thrusts and he shouted as he climaxed. The throb of his cock inside her made her contractions continue on way past the point she was certain she couldn’t take anymore.
Apparently she could.
Aedan rolled her in his arms and held her tight. “I wish I never had to let you go,” he said, his voice shaking. “I never want to let you go.”
CHAPTER 5
THE PAIN IN AEDAN’S VOICE AND WHAT HE’D SAID sent Ericka’s mind reeling. She stiffened in his arms.
Something was wrong. Had he taken her soul without her permission? Her heart beat faster and her throat grew too dry to speak.
He lifted his head and fear rose in a heated rush when she saw his tortured expression. He pressed his lips to her forehead, then rolled onto his side so they faced each other and she was in his arms.
He didn’t. He couldn’t have stolen my soul.
Ericka forced herself to take a deep breath. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.
“Most likely you will hate me when I tell you the truth.” Aedan brushed her hair from her forehead as her heart pounded harder. “I am not what you think I am.” His golden gaze was so intense she couldn’t say anything. “I am Incubae, and I was sent to take your soul.”
More heat prickled her skin and a slight dizziness overcame her. She opened her mouth, but he placed two fingers over her lips, not allowing her to speak.
“However, I will not take anything from you.” His features relaxed and he gave her a sad smile. “Your soul is your own. I only wish I could share your life. That would be my greatest dream.”
Relief whooshed through her and she relaxed against her pillow. He hadn’t taken her soul.
Then she realized what he’d said about sharing his life with her and a strange feeling settled in her belly.
“Aedan,” she tried to say behind his fingers, but he pressed them harder to her lips. Smells of sandalwood and sex mingled with the vanilla-scented candles.
“I must go.” He sighed. “I cannot return.”
Ericka’s eyes widened. “What—you have to come back.”
He moved his fingers and pressed his lips to hers. “I hope you will remember and think well of me.”
He started to move away from her when she grabbed hold of his hand. “Wait.” She clenched his fingers tight. “I already figured out you’re an Incubus. I won’t give you my soul, but I don’t want you to stop coming.” An ache grew tighter in her chest. “Please.”
Aedan gave another melancholy smile. “It is not my choice. I answer to the gods and goddesses and I must face my destiny.”
“What is it?” Her hand started to tremble, but she didn’t let go of his. “Your destiny.”
He stared at her for a long time and she tried to imagine never looking into his golden eyes again. “The Realm of the Dead.”
Ericka caught her breath. In her research books that place was a version of Hell. Where one burned for eternity. “No.” She shook her head as she tried to unscramble her thoughts, attempting to remember more of her research. “Isn’t there another place, a good place? An—An—”
“Annwn.” He gently took her hand from his and eased off the bed as she sat and faced him. “But I have failed in my last mission and my fate does not lie there any longer.”
“Stay, Aedan.” Her whole body felt like she was going to shatter. “Stay with me.” She knew her words were crazy. He was a demon. A demon.
“I have grown to love you.” He stroked her cheek with his fingertips. “Thoughts of you will carry me through my destiny.”
Tears burned in her eyes and she felt like she had already started breaking apart. He moved away from her and she scrambled out of bed and tried to follow him. “Wait!” Panic laced her voice. “Isn’t there something we can do?”
Aedan gave her an intense look of longing before cupping her cheeks with his hands and brushing his lips over hers. He whispered, “I love you, Ericka.”
The unreality of it all made her mind spin. “Aedan, please!” She tried to grab his arm to stop him.
He vanished.
“No, no, no.” She held her palm over her mouth as tears burned her eyes and her body shook. “That can’t be it,” she said as she let her hand drop away. “I won’t let it!”
Ericka grabbed her robe that was draped over a chair. She wrapped herself in it before running to the living room straight for her mountain of research books. There had to be a way to save him.
Aedan knew the escorts would be waiting. Hideous demons wearing cloaks that rippled like fire. Aedan didn’t bother dressing himself with his thoughts. The clothing would simply burn away even though he would not.
Jett and Kyne stood to the side. Jett’s eyes were wide and fear was on her features. Kyne clenched his fist so tightly his muscles bunched. “Give him another chance.” Kyne’s voice had a rough edge to it as the guards took Aedan by his upper arms.
“I will miss you,” Aedan said to Jett and Kyne as the guards started to take him away. “May you find much happiness in Annwn when you should go.”
Jett choked back a sob. “Aedan, why? Why throw your life to the fires for a human?”
Aedan shook his head then stared forward as the guards escorted him from the Chamber of Veils.
During the long walk down the Hall of the Lost, Aedan’s heart grew heavier. He pushed aside his fear with thoughts of Ericka and smiled knowing she would be safe.
When they reached the doorway to the Realm of the Dead, heat blasted Aedan. He closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them before he and the demons stepped through the rock entryway and down steps leading to another archway. Flames singed his cheeks even before the guards pushed him into fire and lava.
Hours flew as Ericka flipped through pages of book after book after book that she had piled beside the couch. Something had to be here. Hadn’t she read or heard that an Incubus could be kept from facing such a horrible fate? Or was it merely her desperate desire to save him that made her imagine things that couldn’t be?
After Aedan left, she put on a pot of coffee and even had to brew another batch as she pored over the books. Her eyes burned, her vision swam, and she was so jittery she spilled a few drops of coffee onto her robe.