Chained to the Devil’s Daughter (Mating the Elements #1)

Epilogue

Searra Two Years Later

"T his is not the Hell I remember,” Elodie marveled. She reached for a vine of peace ivy that scrawled around the Temple of Truth. With a wide, open archway instead of closed doors, we could see the Keepers of the Faith practicing inside. Five young novices studied at desks, pens scribing as the old man I knew as Keeper spoke from a dais. One pair sat closer, taking turns tattooing their notes onto each other.

“Then I’ve accomplished something,” I laugh, absently rubbing my belly.

“That’s not going to fly here, zephyr.” Freckles highlighted her sharp cheekbones as she smiled and rolled an enchanting pair of bright violet eyes. “Your accomplishments are more than words can describe.”

I knew Elodie was not truly human. Knew that she’d come to Devil seeking something of great importance for her people and wound up trapped as a perpetual demon humper, as she so eloquently put it. Today, her springy, cloud-like hair was threaded with gold on the left side, accentuating her long, pointed ear.

To see her now, healthy, happy, and in all her air fae glory, my hormones kept shedding tears each time I looked her way.

“How are your feet, mama? Shall I give us a lift to the dining hall?” Elodie’s golden wings shimmered into view, glittery magic winking out of existence before dusting her iridescent blue shoulders as she examined my ankles.

I shooed her away and hooked our arms together. “Let me walk a few more steps. This baby is restless. They only calm when I’m moving. But trust me, we’ll fly home—you can’t truly appreciate the agro ring until you see it from above.”

The agro ring was Hell’s greatest improvement. Instead of sectioning out separate rings for crops, we’ve slowly been leveling the whole blasted thing. Starting with the labor rings, which were now one long halo of crops, thanks to Geysis and her ingenious uses of peace ivy. Farmers used elementally-enhanced equipment pulled by gryffions who’d been released from their painful bonds in favor of treats made of dehydrated peace ivy stalks and corn sugar.

Elodie snorted, but being a flames-dang air fae, the sound was as elegant as a frost breeze tickling the lily bed. Gosh, I couldn’t believe the clever, gorgeous woman chose to be friends with me.

Rings, I was sniffling again.

“Cursed elements, woman!” She wiped my tears with faux anger. “Clearly, I’m not as incredible as I think I am. Where’s your man? Obviously, you enjoy his company. Over, and over, and over.” She gave a conspicuous glance at my rounded belly. “What is this, number four?”

“Oh, no,” I groaned. “Not you, too. Why is everyone trying to give me more babies than I need?”

“If it’s babies you want, I’m not sure I’m your lady, but I’m willing to try.”

It was my turn to snort, a much less appealing sound. In the distance, I heard a familiar giggle. Shielding myself from the sun, brighter than ever without all the cliffs dulling its shine, I spotted them.

“Speak of my mate and he shall come.” I pointed to the red-and-black dot in the sky.

“Ew. I dare never say his name again. You should probably stop, too, if you don’t want more babies.”

I scowled at my friend, but Elodie was too busy cackling at her poor joke to notice. She had yet to meet Tayman and I was beginning to wonder if introducing them would only mean more trouble for me.

“Mommy!” Lux cried joyously. He scrambled down from his father’s shoulders and ran to me, arms outstretched, little hands barely reaching the height of his mini horns.

I had to squat awkwardly to reach him, but Ash’ren snatched him away before I could settle him around my bloated hip.

“Your mother is not supposed to lift heavy things. Don’t you see she’s busy making your brother?”

“It’s a girl this time,” I corrected.

“Your mother thinks little girls are less fierce, but your sister will whoop your butt plenty, won’t she?”

Lux paid no attention to our squabble, too busy trying to catch the magic flickering from Elodie’s wings as she teased them against his nose. She pretended to care little for kids and romance, but I knew she thought herself a broken woman with a heart too heavy to gift another. Someday, she would learn otherwise.

“You’re slacking, Ash’ren. Do you see this?” Elodie flew a foot off the ground and hovered, pointer finger extended aggressively toward my cheek. I swiped away the evidence. “All day, she’s been looking at me and sobbing!”

Ash’ren’s previous playfulness disappeared, replaced with darkness. I don’t think he paused to consider his next move before he had me by the waist, dipped low, licking my face.

“Oooooo-kay,” Elodie mused. “I’m out. I’ll fly over the agro rings myself. See you lovebirds at dinner!”

Peeling my mate away from my tears, I let him carry me back to the dining hall. Dinner was nothing like it used to be. As queen, I adopted the human approach, granting dinnertime back to families. Today was special, though, so the great hall had no lack of bottoms in seats and laughter in the air.

“Hell’s a lie, but it sure is a good time.” Tayman shrugged at Elodie’s incredulous—and beautiful—snort. “You haven’t visited my club. All the sinful, depraved, deliciously consensual pleasures you can imagine.”

Gold swam around Elodie’s narrowed amethyst eyes. “All right. You’ve caught my interest.”

“Don’t do it! It’s a trap,” Tindra, Warlord Lavar’s daughter, warned from across the table. “He’s trying to get you knocked up.”

“Excuse me, brat? Your husband is right fucking there.” Tayman sent a saucy look toward the human seated beside her father, both looking comfortably uncomfortable. Though Tindra was a demon, the happy couple had opted to seal their vows in the traditional human fashion with marriage. Lavar’s insistence on the rebellion’s success was a lot clearer now. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“I knew him way before I met you.”

“Semantics.”

Smiling into my glass of lavaberry juice, I glanced over my shoulder at the imposing Bone Throne. Sure, I still sat there when hearing out grievances, but I was more of an elbow- rubber type of queen. Literally, Jadan’s elbow bumped mine as they teased Lux about something that happened while playing torchball earlier.

The Bone Throne wasn’t the only inheritance that still weighed on my mind. Geysis had found a temporary fix to the child-eating, portal-opening book, but I would rest much easier once it was destroyed.

I winced, a sting in my heavy breasts forcing me from my dreadful thoughts.

“Love bug,” Ash’ren murmured against my temple. “You look tired. And,” his gaze dropped to my chest, flush and plump from the pressure building there. He licked his lips. “Full. Should we retire early?”

The flush rushed up my neck until even my ears were hot. While pregnant with Lux, my milk came in early. We encouraged it and saved every drop we could, especially after learning how important those first jars were. After his birth, it was so painful, that I walked around heavy and aching, leaking through my dresses until I revealed the truth to Ash’ren. The heated gleam in his eyes when he discovered I’d kept it from him, the way it burned hotter when I agreed to accept his help. A kink was unlocked that day.

Now a year and a half old, Lux still takes one meal a day from the breast, and my body is preparing to feed a brand-new baby. I have too much milk, and Ash’ren is all too eager to drain me.

I accepted his help to my feet, silently letting Fara know to watch over Lux. Elodie glanced up from her riveting conversation about sex swings versus chaises, tossing me a knowing wink.

We hardly made it a dozen paces out the door before I was swept from my feet, bundled against Ash’ren’s broad chest, his brocade tunic far too thick, and yet I could innately feel the muscles it hid beneath.

“Ash!” I squeaked as a broad hand groped my swollen breast right in the middle of the hallway.

“Your tits are so full, love bug. Once you’ve been drained, you’ll feel better.” His thumb brushed over my sensitive bud, already tingling with the need to let down. After a few swipes back and forth, he groaned, leaning over me to suck his thumb where I’d leaked. “You’re a wonder, my love, I can’t believe I get to worship the body of such a life-giving goddess. Let’s collect your milk, so you can feed our babies. I’ll make you come, so you won’t feel anything but pleasure. Then I’m going to sample your sweet honey while you’re stuck on my knot. How does that sound?”

“Y-yes, please.”

“Good girl.”

When we reached our chambers, Ash’ren carried me past the bed, into the lounge, planting me carefully on the velvet loveseat with a side table for our supplies. I swallowed as his tunic went over his head, his trousers falling to the floor next. Kneeling before me, he eased my lace and linen gown up my hips, gently peeling it from my breasts. Once it lay beside his clothes, he palmed my bloated globes, feeling their weight. Even that slight movement sent a bead of milk trickling from each nipple, making me whimper.

“I’ve got you, my queen.” Arranging the lactation cart in front of us, he took a seat on the velvet, then easily lifted me onto his lap. “Let me take care of you. Soon I’ll clean you all up with my mouth, but these jars are important for our baby. Let me please you for now.”

My head tilted back on his shoulder, and I gripped two thick, strong thighs that caged me in. His cock nestled between my folds, already slick with anticipation. One of his ridges teased my clit, causing me to squirm, squeezing his cock between slippery thighs. Flames, I wanted his cock, but I made the mistake of telling him of the mild pain the last time we had sex, so now he holds out on me, making me slide up and down his length without fucking me.

“That’s it, Firefly,” he cooed, thrusting between my drenched legs. “I’m going to milk you now.”

Kneading my right breast, he squeezed from the base to the ring of my areola, aimed into a glass carafe. When the first gush of milk squirted out, a great pressure released, easing a tension that had become a background feeling over the past few hours.

“So beautiful, woman. I can’t wait to drink your milk while your sweet pussy milks my cock.”

I keened at his words, wiggling with more gusto. I felt his knot blooming, thinking my thighs were my pussy. As I watched, a glob of precum joined our growing mess.

Another sweet wave of relief hit when he moved on to my left breast. He sealed the container and set it aside. By the time he began licking away stray drips on my underboob, I’d coated his length with my release.

With a primal groan, he kissed away the newly beaded milk on my left breast, not sucking but still warm and wet. He engulfed the other with his hot mouth next, licking his lips. I whimpered, a drop of milk trailing down the expanse of my boob.

“So fucking perfect, Firefly. I’m going to come all over your pretty, rounded belly. You’re so beautiful, bred like this. My fucking seed did that. You are mine.”

“Yours! Always!”

With one hand fisting my hair, he tugged me back and feasted. I came again as he painted me in white.