Unblessed Witch (Phases of the Moon #4)

9. Deva

9

DEVA

“I’m not mad someone handled it before us,” Lazaro said as he nudged the monstrous creature with his foot, “but I am concerned that whoever killed it is still around.” We’d found the thing in a cavern about twenty minutes into our uphill trek through the tunnel.

The space was beautiful and peaceful, a reprieve from the monotonous danger of the caves…except for the corpse, but that seemed out of place as well.

I didn’t know what the creature had been, with its leathery black skin and spikes that oozed a grayish liquid that sizzled on the ground. I’d initially been worried that it was still alive, but its head was missing so that made me think not .

“Let’s split up then, check it out. Teams of two or three?” I asked. I didn’t feel any other magic signatures in the cavern, which was one of the only reasons I was comfortable with us splitting up to begin with. I had a feeling whoever killed that creature had moved on, going further into the dungeon.

“Two. I’m with Deva.” Cage scooped me up, and I couldn’t help the giggle that left me as he flipped off Oz. “We’re going this way!”

“Which way?” I looked around, eyeing the direction he was taking us.

The cave was like a lush oasis, ten-foot trees and plant life filling the space. Water ran through the room in a river that originated from a waterfall coming down from the cave ceiling. The cavernous room took on a dusk-like quality, the crystals on the ceiling casting an amethyst glow over everything.

“This place is unreal,” I said to Cage as we turned down a path and came into full view of the waterfall. Streaks of color danced across the water’s surface, pooling in a pond before flowing down the river. A brightly colored fish jumped in the spray, and my eyes traveled up to look for the source of the water.

“Nothing suspicious over here,” Cage hummed before kissing the shell of my ear and pulling my attention. “But we should check over here.”

“Cage!” I screeched as he tightened his hold on me, then jumped across the pond and right into the waterfall. I curled in against him, trying to shield my face from getting drenched like the rest of me.

“Put me down, you crazy?—”

Cage’s lips sealed against mine in a hard, demanding kiss that instantly drained all the fight from me. Letting me slide down his body, his hands strung through my hair as he tilted my head perfectly to devour my lips. When he pulled back, I found I couldn’t even be mad at him jumping into the waterfall—I couldn’t be mad at anything.

The look on his face was extremely vulnerable, any humor gone as he cupped my jaw and backed me up against a rocky surface. I hadn’t gotten a good look at the grotto, but it was clear Cage thought we were safe enough to be fully distracted. His lips pressed to mine once more before he spoke in a soft, almost wounded voice, one that tugged at my heart.

“Sorry, little siren. I had to take you away for a little bit when I saw the chance.” He exhaled, pressing his forehead against mine. “I thought I lost you, Deva. I thought that those feelings of your pain, of your agony, would be the last shared experience we’d have.” Cage’s voice was rough against my skin. “I couldn’t accept that though. Do you know why?”

“Why?” I whispered, my hands sliding up the wet shirt plastered to his chest.

“Because we have our entire lives ahead of us, and I’m so damn protective of that. Every moment is one I plan on enjoying with you by my side, and I refused to admit that Astaroth could have stolen that from us. If you’d died, or stayed dead, I don’t know what I would have done, little siren.”

“I never truly gave up,” I assured him softly. “Even when I chose to give away my magic, even when I died, I never stopped trying to get back to you. I want this to be over—I need this to be over and for Astaroth to not be a problem anymore. I want that future, Cage. So damn bad.”

“We are going to get that future, little siren, I promise you. Before you know it Astaroth will be six feet under—unless I chop him into so many bits that they’re too small to bury.” Honestly, he probably deserved a far worse death than even that.

“I love you, Cage. I promise you, I’m not going anywhere—ever. Not without any of you.”

“Damn right,” he growled, leaning forward and nipping my lip—hard. A whimper slipped from my throat as he broke skin, the taste of my blood sparking between us. Running my fingers through his hair, I twisted them around the strands and deepened the kiss.

My back was pressed against the cave wall, and Cage’s body was completely overwhelming me in the best way possible, his fingers biting into my waist. My skin was chilled from my wet clothes, but heated desire trickled over every part of me.

“I need more. I need to taste more of you,” he murmured, a blade appearing between the fingers of one of his hands. The cool metal slid against my corset top, breaking the side stitch. It peeled away from me easily, and I let out a moan at the feel of my bare skin against him.

He boosted me up in his arms, and I hissed at the feel of his lips wrapping around my hardened nipple, his cock wedged right against my center as the knife disappeared. My head spun, a heavy wave of need rolling over me as he switched to the other side, my center exploding with liquid heat.

“Cage,” I whimpered as he continued to toy with me, the sensation switching from his tongue to teeth in a heady effect. So much so that I didn’t even realize we’d been moving until Cage laid me out on something soft. I opened my eyes, sifting my fingers through sand. I hadn’t even noticed the narrow sandy beach of the grotto, so incredibly caught up in Cage and the sensation of his touch.

“Didn’t want to hurt you,” he explained, leaning forward and torturing my injured lip. “At least not in a bad way.”

When he undid my boots and tugged my pants down over my hips, I let out a sound of complaint. “I shouldn’t be the only one naked.”

“Fuck, I don’t know if I can handle your hands on me just yet,” he said gruffly, even as he reached back with one hand and tugged his shirt over his head. I wiggled out of my pants, flicking them away with my toes, and the groan that rumbled from Cage’s chest sent a fresh, new wave of heat through me. I reached for him as his gaze raked over my body, but he was already moving toward my heated center.

The sensation of his tongue against my molten core, his fingers locking onto my hips, was enough to make me moan out his name. Arching up, I tried to bring his mouth even closer, my clit pulsing and signaling that I was all too close to a climax already. I could feel Cage’s magic playing with my body, my heartbeat wild and uneven, as he pulled and teased my senses.

“Shit,” I whimpered, “that feels amazing—” My voice caught as I nearly came, my legs tightening around his head.

“I want you to come all over my face, little siren, so that when I slide into you, I can still taste you on my lips.” I gasped as he returned to my center, his teeth teasing my clit.

“Cage!” I cried out as he slid two fingers inside of my pussy, causing me to absolutely detonate around him. I moaned, almost in pain from the over sensitization, as he continued to devour my center despite me squirming to get away.

“Don’t rush me, little siren. I fucking love your taste,” he growled before pulling back and opening my legs, placing them on either side of his torso. I hadn’t even realized he’d pushed down his pants until his hard cock was brushing against my slit, a sound of approval leaving him at how wet I was.

“Don’t tease me,” I begged, countering his words, as he dipped his head down to mine, brushing my lips. But Cage didn’t plan to tease me—his hips punched forward, filling me in one thrust.

My pleasure-filled cry echoed through the cave as he let out a deep guttural sound, his cock flexing inside of me. His length felt extreme, my body hypersensitive, as I tried to adjust—gripping his shoulders and drawing blood.

“Fuck, you feel fantastic,” Cage said, dipping his head and teasing my injured lip. “I love you marking me. Make me bleed as much as you want, little siren.”

Why the hell was that so hot?

“I need you to keep moving,” I whimpered, trying to roll my hips. He let out a growl and pressed down on my hips to lock them in place, beginning to pump in and out of me. My back arched in response to being filled so deeply, and my eyes fluttered shut at the sensation of his cock hitting a white-hot point of pleasure.

“Fuck, I can already tell I’m going to be addicted to being inside of you,” he said, pumping harder and faster. “First you, then your blood, and now your pussy—I can’t get enough of you, little siren.”

I didn’t have a chance to respond before a sting against the flesh of my breast drew a moan from me, the scent of blood filling the space. My gaze moved down to find Cage’s tongue running along the cut before he moved to the other side and repeated the action, all the while pumping in and out of me. I felt euphoric from the sight alone, and a small climax rolled over me as I moaned out his name. His eyes snapped up to me, blazing at the sound of it.

“So many damn positions I want to see you in, Deva,” he growled, flipping me on my stomach. I pushed back and he slid between my legs, keeping one hand firmly on my hip, the other gripping my throat in a firm, possessive hold. His pace grew deeper and harder as the sound of our bodies meeting filled the space, echoing around us.

“Cage—” I gasped as he hit particularly hard.

“Yes, little siren?”

Barely able to breathe at how damn deep he was, I managed to get out on a breathy whisper, “I want you to take more of my blood.”

“You never have to fucking ask for that again.” The sting of a blade running along my spine made me tighten around him, and Cage let out a guttural sound of pure pleasure. When his hands ran along my skin, I knew he was painting me with blood. I only pushed back against him further, wanting more.

It felt almost primal, the way he was taking me, and I let every ounce of concern, relief, anger, frustration—fucking everything—seep into the moment as I shuddered around him.

I didn’t even get a breath in before he slammed into me one last time with a roar of my name, hard enough that my arms broke and I fell forward. I could feel him spill inside of me and it triggered my own climax, the world breaking apart around me.

My body melted into the ground and my heart pumped loudly in my ears, my center exploding in pure euphoria. Sated, I couldn’t control the darkness that wrapped around me as I gave into the exhaustion that had been riding my body for a while now.

“You’re in trouble.” I hummed in amusement as I rinsed off in the pool, practically feeling the frustration of the others on the other side of the waterfall. Apparently, I’d slept in Cage’s arms for nearly thirty minutes before he’d finally woken me up.

Cage looked slightly put out that I was rinsing off the blood, but he was also so damn pleased that it overtook any other emotion. Even the attitudes of my other men couldn’t dim his happiness. While they’d been trying to find a way out, we’d been occupied with other…activities.

“Don’t regret it.” He flashed me a smile.

Neither did I, and while it probably hadn’t been the perfect time—was there ever a perfect time? Besides, the moment had allowed me a sense of connection and grounding that had me feeling far more like myself.

“They’re just jealous they didn’t think of stealing you away,” he mused. “Had to be a bit selfish with you when the opportunity arose.” And the truth was, Cage was rarely selfish. I wasn’t positive if it came from growing up in such a large family or if it was just innate to him, but when I truly looked at it, almost everything Cage did was for the larger group. So I was glad—thrilled, honestly—he had decided to steal me away.

“I love it,” I said, gently pressing my lips to his as he tugged me toward him.

“Two minutes and I’m pulling your ass out of there, little thief.”

Cage sighed and helped me out, using a dry shirt to towel us off before getting dressed. I was so damn thankful for their quick thinking when packing to come get me as I pulled on leggings, socks, and a hoodie—all much more comfortable than the corset I’d been stuck in. My boots would be wet, but that was okay.

“I love you,” Cage said as we used a tiny gap in the side of the waterfall—which Cage had conveniently not noticed before—to slip out and come face to face with the others.

Grimshaw was laying on his back and staring at the cave ceiling, looking fairly relaxed—not that I bought that for a minute—but Alek and Oz looked positively grumpy. Lazaro shook his head at Cage as he handed his backpack to him.

“It was break time?” I said by way of explanation, trying to break the tension.

“Lunch break,” Cage agreed, and I shot him a knowing look.

“Well at least your lunch break resulted in finding the exit,” Grimshaw mused.

“Where?”

He nodded upwards, my eyes following his to the top of the waterfall. The rocks were slick, but if climbed correctly we’d be able to get to the break in the ceiling that the water poured out of.

“That is going to be fun,” I grumbled. Oz appeared next to me, examining my once injured hand before brushing a kiss onto the side of my head. He seemed to be ever so slowly settling as he continued to hover, his demeanor relaxing with every little touch.

Grimshaw narrowed his eyes toward our exit. “Let’s get going, I have a feeling we’ll end up running into others soon.”

“Yeah, I’ve been hearing a few things as well,” Lazaro agreed.

Suddenly, my softened mood grew tense. I wanted to get my men and myself out of here. I needed time to think, to plan Astaroth’s destruction, and I couldn’t do that here. Not well, anyway, and I needed to be solid. Because the next time I saw him would be the time that I killed him.