KING OF THE UNDERWORLD (Earthbound Book 1)

“You bit me!” I look at him accusingly, taking in his smug, satisfied smile.

He turns to me and takes me hand gently in his own. He looks at my fingers and notices the blood. “So I did,” he replies with no remorse. His eyes flash red as he once again growls, “MINE.”

“What the fuck does that even mean?” I demand, pulling my hand away.

He sighs. “My demon has taken a liking to you. He decided a while ago to keep you, and I’m just now getting on board.”

“Keep me!?” I screech. What the hell is that supposed to mean? I do not like the way this conversation is going. “You can tell your demon that I am not his pet.” I huff, pulling the sheets over my naked body. “He doesn’t just get to decide to keep me.” I point to the mark on my neck. “What’s with the biting? I can’t believe you actually broke the skin.”

“He sees you as his. He feels protective over you. So, he marked you to let everyone know you are not to be touched.”

I lay there, shocked, as the words ‘mine’ and ‘his’ reverberate in my head. “No, no. NO.” My words are emphatic and I’m shaking my head as his words penetrate my mind. “It will never work. You hate witches. I’m shocked you even allowed yourself to touch me.”

He studies me closely with those black eyes, his face devoid of emotion. He turns his body towards me before speaking. “Have you quite finished?” He asks, an eyebrow arched. Irritation flickers in his eyes, the sign of emotion so surprising, I find myself nodding at him. “I will not deny my previous disdain for all witches. I had no way to foresee how my feelings for you would develop. I fucking want you and I have from the moment I laid eyes on you, and I will not deny the need I have for you any longer.” There’s an edge to his voice that wasn’t there before, and it causes my heart to turn over in my chest. A tingle starts in the pit of my stomach and courses through my body. I can’t let this go any further.

I shake my head at him. “What just happened will not happen again. It can’t.” Whatever is between us can’t go any further, no matter what my dreams have told me. No matter what my heart is trying to tell me now.

I feel a sudden need to get away from him, so I sit up, trying to move to the edge of the bed. I don’t get far.

He sits up and places his large hand between my breasts, pushing until my back hits the mattress. His body rolls on top of my smaller one, trapping me beneath him. “What is between us will continue, and this is definitely going to happen again. You can try lying to yourself, but you can’t lie to me. No matter how many times you deny what you’re feeling, those feelings are still going to be there.” His eyes bore into mine, daring me to object. He smirks, and I know he has me right where he wants me.

I gasp in delight as his hand slips between my thighs, his thumb pressing against my clit, strumming the tiny bundle of nerves and waking my arousal. My nipples harden and pebble, and he bends his head, taking one into his hot, wet mouth, sucking gently before biting down. My breath hitches.

I try to fight the hunger clouding my mind. I don’t want to be the other woman, don’t want to be his dirty little secret.

I jump when he speaks, “You won’t be.” The voice comes from deep in his throat and is rough like sandpaper. I realize I must have spoken my worries aloud.

Our eyes meet. Should I trust him. My heart is saying one thing, my mind is saying another. I want to believe what he’s telling me, but I’m scared. If I give him my heart, will he break it? Is he only using me to get closer to me, to my family?

I tilt my head and ask him, “What do you mean?” I want to be sure I’m not misunderstanding him.

A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, a tender look flickering briefly in his eyes. “I have no intention of you being my dirty little secret. I intend for everyone to know exactly who you belong to,” Lucien promises darkly, taking both my hands in his and placing them above my head. The look on his face turns to one of hunger, and heat instantly pools between my thighs.

“Are you wet? Does your pussy want my cock?” He whispers, the smoldering flame in his eyes making me squirm.

I can’t help my response. I hate being so weak, I’m not this person, but he turns me into a quivering ball of need with little to no effort on his part. Whimpering, I nod my head, arching my hips into him. He doesn’t mess around with any foreplay; he simply pushes his hips between my thighs and drives his cock home. There’s no warning, no build-up, just his cock thrusting in and out of me, hard and deep. I gasp, clutching at his hands, as my head tips back in ecstasy from his movements. His mouth nips and sucks at my neck as he continues fucking me.

“Oh. God.” I cry. I’m so wet for him.

“Your voice goes straight to my fucking cock. All I can think about is touching you. Fucking you until you scream my name.” He growls, continuing to thrust, his hips smacking against mine. “I’ve tried to stay away from you. I couldn’t. I can’t. You’re fucking mine, Scarlett. Your body is mine. All. Fucking. Mine.” His last three words are punctuated with his thrusts, harder than ever.

“Lucien,” I moan out. “Oh, God.”

“There’s no God here, baby. Just me.” He stops for a second, staring down at me, before pushing into me leisurely. Sliding his cock in and out, painfully slow, intensifying the pleasure I’m receiving from him.

I moan, looking up at him desperately as he gives me a feral grin. Letting go of my hands, he grabs my hips, tilts them up, and drives his cock even deeper inside of me. He knows exactly what he’s doing, how good he’s making me feel. He is the devil in disguise.

I open my mouth, but no sounds come out. Oh God. It feels so incredible, so fucking good. Fuck. I’m going to come again. I bite down on his shoulder, hard, and he hisses in pain at the force of my teeth sinking into his flesh and squeezes my ass forcefully, making me bite down even harder as my orgasm rips through my body.

“Fuck!” He shouts, his cock pulsing inside of me, and I feel his release. He slows down, dragging his cock in and out of me slowly, my pussy milking every last drop from his length.

“I want you walking around with my scent all over you, my cum dripping down your thighs. I want everyone to know exactly who you belong to,” he states, pulling out of me. He rolls off me with a kiss to my forehead before pulling me back into his arms.

His hard chest cushions my head, and I’m somehow comfortable, perfectly content like this. “Aria will not like it,” I lift my head to look at him. “She’s dangerous…”

“Shhhhh…” He cuts me off. “Let me deal with Aria. My demon and I have marked you. The bite on your neck shows that you belong to me. No one will dare try to harm you. They know if even a single hair on your head is out of place that they will have to answer to me.” He tries to reassure me, his fingers caressing the mark on my neck.

“If this is going to work between us, you have to explain exactly what Aria is to you. Even if she isn’t your wife, she’s obviously someone close to you. Is she your mate?”

“I’ve never had a wife, partner, or mate.” Lucien replies and I hear the truth in his words. “It is hard to explain exactly what Aria is to me,” he sighs, rubbing his face. It’s apparent he isn’t used to people questioning him, nearly everyone is too afraid to do so.

“We’ve been together a long time. It started after I lost everything. Aria was there. She stood by my side when I had nobody else. I won’t deny that I once cared deeply for her, but those feelings pale in comparison to those I have for you.” His voice trails off and it’s easy for me to see that whatever happened in his past is still causing him pain, the memories still affecting him even to this day. He shakes his head, as though trying to rid himself of his thoughts, and continues. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, Scarlett. Not even Aria. I can no longer deny how I feel about you. I don’t normally let my feelings rule my head, but I can’t seem to help it where you’re concerned. I might sometimes appear cold and heartless, especially in front of others, but if that happens, trust me when I say that there is a reason for it. If you let me, I will protect you with every fiber of my being,” he promises, running his fingers softly up and down my arm before placing a kiss on my shoulder.

I close my eyes when his lips touch mine. I know he’s not going to say anything else; he’s said all he’s willing to, and even though I believe him, I still feel uneasy. Aria isn’t about to let him go easily, and regardless of his belief that his feelings for her are gone, I think he’s in denial. I don’t share and I have no intentions of being in an open relationship. Will the day come that he realizes he’s made a mistake? Will he set me aside?

I know that the moment Aria finds out we’re together, she will go ballistic. Then there’s my family… I know they won’t be happy with me being with a demon! If I give into him, give into my feelings, my whole world will be turned upside down. He still doesn’t know about my omega. I can’t even imagine how he will react to that news. But if I don’t tell him, how can trust possibly form between us? Why is this all so difficult?

As though sensing the conflict raging inside of me, Lucien’s hands move up and cradle the sides of my face before pressing kisses all over my cheeks and eyelids, like he wants to soothe me, convince me everything will be alright.

The sensation of his hands and lips on me cause chills to break out over my body. I want his hands everywhere, need more of his gifted mouth. I let him pull me into his embrace and allow the rest of the world to disappear.