She rested her head on her hand. “I didn't get a mission statement. Where are we going?”
“It’s not a mission.” My heart fluttered as I searched her face for a clue to how she would react. “We’re celebrating valentine’s day.”
Mara's eyes widened in wonder. Her lips popped open. “Valentine’s Day?”
She was beyond adorable. I nodded as a smile broke over my face.
“We get to kill a goat and everything?”
“What? No!?” I gasped through laughter.
A hurt look flashed across her face. “That’s what the Romans did.”
I quickly sobered. “Nowadays, we do fancy food and candy.”
Mara nodded slowly and turned to the window. “The Roman way sounds more fun.” She mumbled.
I patted her thigh. “You’ll have fun, I promise.”
I just hoped I was right.
We pulled onto the boardwalk on Brighton Beach, ready to take advantage of the free parking before we caught the ferry over to Central Manhatten. I was following Davenport's instructions; he drove into the City enough to know the best way to go about it.
We stepped onto the sidewalk and into the crisp Spring air. Mara wore an ivory summer dress covered in flowers, the picture of innocence. Her face rippled, and her skin mattified as she began more human. It was fascinating to watch her power in action.
Thousands of rainbow umbrellas dotted the beach, and a monstrous Ferris wheel overlooked the sand, surrounded by spinning and whizzing rides. I gripped Mara's hand, ready to hail a taxi to the nearest ferry port, her fingers twined in mine, and she gaped at the slowly circling wheel arching into the sky.
“Remi...” She whispered in awe. “This is perfect.” The lights of the amusement rides reflected back in her coal-black eyes. “Can we go on the rides?”
I thought about the reservation at Le Bain and decided that it could wait. I had front row seats to Mara's first time at an amusement park. The greasy food and sugary scents, and the squeals of children filled the Coney Island air. She tugged me forward, but I did not need much coaxing as I watched her trying to take in everything at once.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my card, gesturing to the token machine. “What do you want to go on first?”
Mara started to jump and clap. “Bumper cars!” She said with a wide grin, pointing over my shoulder. She was utterly unaware that several people had turned to watch her.
I had forgotten that I was scared of heights until we sat at the top of the Ferris Wheel with my hands clenched around the safety rail in a death grip.
Mara eyed me with concern and tried not to rock the small cart. The sun had begun to set, and our reservation had come and gone. We’d spent the whole day laughing and eating as much junk food as possible.
“Look at all the lights.” She whispered.
The entire amusement park was a kaleidoscope of colors. “We didn’t have things like this in Hell.”
Mara did not tend to talk about Hell with anyone but Hugo, they had a special connection born from their roots. It did not bother me much until she said things like that.
“What's Hell like?” I asked gently.
Her brow furrowed as her eyes continued to drink in the view. “It’s never day or night. Always sometime in between. Every Circle is different. Every Demon is different. Sport is bloodshed, but it's still beautiful.”
“Do you miss it?”
“My place is here.” She whispered, taking my hand. “Maybe one day, I'll create a new world, and we'll rule it together. Our own bliss.”
My human mind was limited in understanding her magic because I could not conceive of anyone being powerful enough to birth and kill an entire world on a whim. I had to remind myself that Mara was a bonafide goddess, even if she didn’t act like one.
The Ferris Wheel began to descend, but I leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to Mara's lips. I hoped it conveyed everything that I wanted her to know.
That I loved her more than breath.
Mara had successfully foiled every one of my attempts to win a plushie for her. First she had squeezed my waist, making me jump. Then she had covered my eyes. Eventually her tactics grew more underhanded as my gun jammed, and when I finally landed a shot, none of the cans fell. I gave her a look, which told her that I knew she was using magic, but her answering grin told me that she had not been trying to hide it.
“Better luck next time!” the stall owner bellowed before greeting another couple. A single raindrop landed on my nose, and I glanced at the sky.
“It’s going to rain,” I said to myself.
Mara gripped my arm. “I know.” She said, leaning into me. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
I laughed with her as the sky’s opened and the streets began to flood. People covered their heads and ran for cover, but my little Demon pulled us into the downpour. Within seconds, our clothes were plastered to our bodies with ice-cold rain.
I blinked water out of my eyes and looked down at my beautiful Mate. I pushed her wet hair out of her face and tilted my lips to meet hers. Her skin was warm, and she tasted like mischief as she pulled away with sparkling eyes.
She gripped my hand and began to tug me towards the car. I allowed myself to follow without any protest. “Where are we going?” I asked, laughing at her determined stride.
Her lip twitched. “You’ll see.”
Our car was one of many on the boardwalk. A dark SUV parked between two compacts and directly under a streetlight. The orange glow died as we approached, and I had a feeling that Mara was to blame. The rain had cleared the streets of people.
Mara pulled me into the backseat of the SUV, pushing on my chest until I hit the backseat, and she moved to straddle my hips. Even in the large vehicle, there was limited space. Her hair tumbled down on either side of my head as she leaned forward with a wicked smirk.
“I’ve never fooled around in a car before.” She whispered, licking her bottom lip. I brushed my knuckles against her cheek.
“Allow me to help with that, love.” I arched my neck to meet her lips, parting them with mine. My hands slipped under her dress, bypassing her ass as I trailed my fingers up her spine. Mara shivered as the car began to fog with our body heat. Our kiss turned harder, more desperate and her hands tangled in the fabric of my shirt, exposing my abs. My hips rocked up, the action was beyond my control, as I sought friction against her heat. I could feel her core through the thin fabric of her lace underwear. My fingers drifted down her spine until my hand rested on the curve of her bum. She rocked her hips, seeking the same contact that I was. She whispered my name as her hands drifted to my zipper, and she pulled my cock free.
“Remi... I need...” Her voice was breathy as she gripped my cock and pressed it to her core, pulling her lace knickers to the side. It felt so illicit, hurried but passionate. We grasped at each other. Too overcome by our Lust to even bother to remove our clothes.
Her head flew back as my cock seated itself inside of her, choked by her tight channel. She felt like heaven and hell. Soft and hot in all the right places. Laughing with abandon, she rode me as I teased her breasts through the thin fabric of her sundress.
When we both came, we came together. Foreheads pressed together and grinning.