Chapter 65

Lilitha rested her chin on Damon’s shoulder as he held her. The sobs were slowly subsiding. Her face was sticky, her throat dry. She felt empty and hollow.

Slowly, Damon pulled her away. He brushed the tears from her cheeks with a faint smile. “Come on. Let’s go home.” He helped her up, taking her hand as they walked. “What exactly did they do to you?” Anger thickened his words.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen.” She swallowed. “They tried to ~fix~ me.”

Damon’s eyes glared like daggers. “Let me see.”

“Damon…” The thought made her feel ugly and vulnerable in a way she’d never quite felt before. To be neither human nor Diablon, but some perverse thing in between.

Damon turned her around, then helped pull down her skirts.

“It’s all wrapped up,” she said.

“It isn’t bleeding through, at least.” Very carefully, he unwrapped her. There was a sharp intake of breath, but his reaction could have been worse.

Lilitha tensed. “Well…?”

“It’s gone.”

“Completely?” Lilitha choked.

“The wound looks clean—and small.” He returned her bandages. “But we’ll have to keep an eye on it. Those humans are dirty.”

Lilitha pulled up her skirts, then turned around. She caught the sadness in Damon’s eyes before he could look away. “Oh, Damon…”

“Let’s go,” he said curtly.

It didn’t take long before Lilitha really began to hate her clothes. The first thing she did was kick off her shoes. They had heels and hurt her ankles.

“We have extra boots back home.” Lips pressed together, he looked her up and down. “Ridiculous. Take it all off.”

Lilitha paused to do so. While she did, Damon raked his fingers through his long auburn hair, tying it up into a knot.

She kept her singlet and underwear on. She looked up to find Damon standing over her, fire in his gaze. Then she was in his arms. Lilitha giggled and shrieked as he sucked at her neck. She grabbed his head and kissed him. He tightened his arms around her, crushing her against his chest. He was growling softly, urgently, and Lilitha was echoing him, emitting eager, little animal noises she hadn’t yet heard from herself before.

He hauled her off her feet, careful of her wound as he held her up, her legs wrapped around his hips. Mashing his lips against hers, he yanked open his britches. Lilitha laughed as he struggled with her underwear, his heavy erection dragging against her thighs.

Her eyes widened as he found his way, plunging deep inside. How did he always fit so well? She clung to him helplessly as he pounded into her, furious and desperate, a snarl following his every thrust. She grabbed onto his horns.

Behind him, his tail was lashing back and forth, the claw at the end shining in the moonlight. It was quick. Baring his teeth, he erupted inside her with a shudder and a low growl. He hoisted her up higher. Lilitha pulled up her singlet so he could bury his face into her breasts.

Then he started kissing them, lapping her nipples gently with his tongue. Lilitha grabbed more tightly onto his horns with a gasp. Then she grabbed his shoulders as she began bucking her hips against him, sliding back and forth over his shaft until her hips burned with heat, and she clenched down hard around him with a cry, pulling him in deeper, tugging down his semen.

It felt good. It felt cleansing. After all she’d experienced with Mandalay, it felt like she was washing him away.

They clung to each other, Lilitha’s legs clamped around his hips, Damon’s arms tight around her waist. He was panting. Lilitha was gasping as her body hummed wonderfully. Slowly, he lowered her to her feet. Lilitha pressed her face into his shoulder with a sigh.

Damon nuzzled her throat. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“Are the others, though?”

“Very much so. They’re angry.”

“Are you angry?”

“Yes.”

Lilitha pressed her face into his throat.

“But I understand,” he said. He gave her a gentle squeeze. “I may be impatient and bemused sometimes, but I ~do~ understand.”

“Thank you.”

Gently, he felt over her hips and thighs and buttocks. “Other than the obvious, are you hurt anywhere?” He lifted up her arms to check more closely.

“Just my heart,” she said with a wan smile.

“Come.” He took her hand. “Let’s go.”

They climbed up the slope at a slow but steady pace. She could sense the others up ahead. They hadn’t gone far. Water kept dripping from the leaves. She stopped by a puddle and washed off her hands, the water turning pink. She stared at her reflection, then looked away.

She took Damon’s hand as they continued to walk. “So, what took you so long anyway?”

Damon looked at her haughtily before seeing her smile. He smiled back. “It’s a huge town—and dangerous. I couldn’t smell you among all the filth. Not until I got close. You’re lucky I found you at all.”

“It was dangerous, Damon. You shouldn’t have done it. What if they’d seen you?”

Damon shrugged. “You’re worth it. Carmella wanted to go but I wouldn’t allow it. Same with Silus. As for Mateus—he’d stick out like a sore thumb. I was the only option.”

“How long had you been looking?”

“The moment I came back and discovered you were gone—of course.”

Lilitha’s mouth fell open. “You’ve been walking the streets all this time?”

“The shadows are mine” was all he said.

“I saw you,” she said. “And it was like sunlight after a lifetime of rain.” Sniffing, she wiped her nose.

Damon squeezed her hand. Then he stopped and rounded on her. “Lilitha”—he cleared his throat—“that man…”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Lilitha’s lip wouldn’t stop trembling.

He turned away with a sniff.

“Are we—are we in danger?” she said quietly.

“We’re always in danger.”

It took three days to get to Mainstry when she’d fled with Clara. The thought made her shoulders slump. But Damon was careful and the clan understanding. It was only a few hours before they stopped to give her another rest.

Mateus, Silus, and Carmella were already seated and waiting by the time Lilitha entered the little clearing. The usual logs served as seats, with Mateus perched on a stump. They’d even built a small fire.

Lilitha looked around. Why did it already feel familiar? Like she was already home?

“We’re not going back to our Norfolk base,” Damon explained, noticing her puzzled look. “We’ll stay here near Mainstry while we wait for the next delivery.”

Lilitha winced. By the next delivery, he meant the next group of prisoners.

“But then, what happened to the others?” She paused as heat rushed up her neck. “The other prisoners I set free?”

“Slaughtered,” Mateus said. “We’ve brought them piecemeal here.”

Lilitha swallowed. His tail was lashing; his eyes were narrowed. The firelight flickered ominously against his horns.

“Come and sit, Lilitha,” Damon said.

Lilitha chewed her lip as she looked at the hardness of the nearest log. Damon sat down on it and patted his thighs. Lilitha took a step toward him, then stopped.

“I’m sorry,” she choked. She spun around. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t just kill people. I had to save Clara. I’m not a…I’m not a…” But she couldn’t say it, because they ~weren’t~ monsters. She loved them too much, and monsters couldn’t love or be loved.

~Surely.~

“I’m so confused.” She wound her hair around her fingers. “But I hated it there. I don’t like them. They treat me like garbage. They’ve always treated me like garbage. Why can’t I just be happy? Why can’t I just accept?”

She started to babble. She could taste salt and snot on her lips as the tears flowed. She was sobbing and hiccupping until her chest ached.

Somebody took her shoulders. They pressed her into their chest. She grabbed onto him fiercely. “I missed you.”

Her father held her tightly back. “Enough, Lilitha. It’s over now. I forgive you. ~We~ forgive you.”

“Speak for yourself,” came Carmella’s voice.

Ignoring her, Lilitha looked into Silus’s eyes.

Smiling, he brushed back the hair from her face. “You might have missed me, but I missed you more.” His voice choked. “I’m glad you’re okay. I thought the worst. No matter what, you’ll always be my daughter, and I’ll always love you.”

They let each other go. His forehead creased. “Your necklace.”

Lilitha lifted a hand to her throat with a start. Her stomach sank. “I left it.”

Something grim swam over Silus’s eyes. He’d made it for her mother, after all. Her ~mother’s~ necklace—and she’d lost it.

“I’ll make you another one,” he said.

As he turned to sit, Lilitha saw that Carmella’s log was vacant. Then she swiveled her eyes to Mateus. He glanced up at her, then back into his lap. His tail was swishing wildly as she approached. She stood over him.

He glared up at her. “Are you going to stay now? Or are we going to have to chain you to the ground and wonder whether everything you say is a lie?”

“My love for you was never a lie.”

Mateus tightened his jaw.

Lilitha stepped in close. “I’m sorry. Love me again?”

For a terrible moment, she thought he wouldn’t. Then he pulled her into him, burying his face into her breasts, nuzzling her nipples, biting them through her singlet. His hands were big and warm on her hips and were clutching her fiercely. Gripping onto his horns, she struggled to push back the tears.

The big alpha breathed a big sigh.