Chapter 113: Chapter 112: Morning After
Eve woke slowly, awareness returning in gentle waves.
The first thing she registered was warmth.....solid, encompassing warmth surrounding her on all sides. The second was a heartbeat, steady and strong beneath her ear. The third was a scent that made her entire body relax instinctively...cedar and snow and something uniquely Damian.
Her eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was his face.
He was still asleep, his features softened in a way they never were when he was awake. The hard lines of command and control were smoothed away, leaving him looking almost peaceful. Almost vulnerable. His dark hair was mussed from sleep, falling across his forehead in a way that made him look younger. His lips were slightly parted, his breathing deep and even.
He was beautiful.
Eve had always known that objectively.....all three of her mates were devastatingly attractive. But seeing Damian like this, unguarded and relaxed, made something in her chest tighten painfully. This was a side of him few people ever got to see. The man beneath the alpha. The person behind the tactical genius and cold dominance.
Without thinking, she raised her hand and began tracing the lines of his face. Her fingers ghosted over his cheekbone, down to his jaw, along the slight stubble there. She traced the line of his nose, the curve of his lips, committing every detail to memory.
She was so focused on her exploration that she didn’t notice when his breathing changed. Didn’t realize he’d woken until his rough voice rumbled above her head.
"Don’t start the morning by teasing me, Eve."
She froze, her hand still cupped against his jaw, her eyes flying up to meet his. When had he opened them? How long had he been awake, letting her touch him like this?
His gray eyes were dark with sleep and something else.....something heated and dangerous that made her breath catch.
"I thought we established yesterday that you shouldn’t tease an alpha," he continued, his voice dropping to that low register that made her thighs clench involuntarily. "Especially one that happens to be your mate. And also the one who is currently having a morning erection right now."
Eve’s eyes went wide, and she became suddenly, acutely aware of the hard length pressed against her through the thin fabric of her sleep clothes. Heat flooded her face, and memories of yesterday....of being punished brutally for hours, of being fucked until she fainted.....crashed over her in vivid detail.
Fear spiked through her arousal. Not fear of Damian hurting her, but fear of being pushed to that edge again. Of being overwhelmed by sensation until her body shut down completely.
She retracted her hand like she’d been burned and tried to sit up.....tried to put distance between herself and the dangerous male currently pinning her with his gaze.
But Damian’s hand shot out, catching her waist with casual strength, holding her in place against his body.
"Are you scared of me, Eve?" he asked quietly, his eyes searching hers.
"No," she said immediately. "I’m not."
But her eyes.....wide and wary and showing the barest hint of flight response.....betrayed her.
In one smooth motion, Damian rolled, pinning her beneath him on the bed. His weight settled over her, not crushing but definitely trapping, his hips nestled between her spread thighs. His erection pressed directly against her entrance now, separated only by thin layers of fabric.
"Your eyes are showing that you are," he murmured, his face inches from hers. "Showing that you’re remembering yesterday. Remembering what happens when you push me past my limits."
Eve’s breath came faster, her body responding despite her mind’s uncertainty. She could feel herself getting wet, could feel her traitorous pussy clenching with need even as her heart raced with nervous energy.
Damian cursed, low and vicious. "By the Moon Goddess, Eve, don’t look at me like that or I’ll have to fuck you senseless again this morning."
His hips rocked forward involuntarily, grinding his erection against her core, making them both groan.
"I can’t do that," he continued, his voice strained with effort. "You just woke up after passing out last night. You need rest, need to recover, need....." He broke off, pressing his forehead against hers, breathing hard. "Please don’t tempt me again this morning. I’m trying to be considerate here."
Then, as if remembering something, he rolled off her with obvious reluctance. The sudden absence of his weight and heat made Eve whimper unconsciously.....a sound she immediately tried to swallow when she saw his eyes darken further at the noise.
"And moreover," Damian said, his voice back to something approaching control, "we have a situation at hand that needs to be addressed."
Eve sat up slowly, her body protesting the movement. Every muscle ached from yesterday’s punishment fucking. Her pussy was tender and oversensitive. Even her throat felt slightly raw from screaming.
"What situation?" she asked, trying to focus on something other than the lingering arousal making her skin too tight.
Before Damian could respond, the bedroom door opened.
Silas and Damon walked in, Damon carrying a large tray laden with food. The aroma hit Eve immediately....bacon, eggs, fresh bread, fruit, coffee.....and her stomach growled so loudly it was almost embarrassing.
Suddenly she was ravenous. Starving in a way that went beyond normal hunger. Her succubus nature was demanding fuel to replace everything she’d burned through yesterday.....the power she’d used, the orgasms she’d experienced, the energy she’d absorbed from her mates.
She started to get out of bed, drawn toward the food like a moth to flame, but Damian pressed her back down with a firm hand on her shoulder.
"Sit, Eve," he commanded gently.
Damon placed the tray carefully on her lap, and the moment it was settled, Eve dove in like a starving wolf.
She tore into the bacon first, shoving entire strips into her mouth, barely chewing before swallowing. Then the eggs, scooping them up with the bread, making impromptu sandwiches that she devoured in three bites. The fruit disappeared next....strawberries and melon and grapes vanishing so fast she barely tasted them.
It was only halfway through demolishing the meal that she became aware of the silence in the room.
She looked up to find all three of her mates watching her with expressions ranging from amused (Damon) to concerned (Silas) to calculating (Damian).
Heat flooded her cheeks. She probably looked feral—eating like an animal, focused only on satisfying the gnawing hunger. But she was too hungry to care about appearances right now.
She dropped her head and continued eating, albeit slightly slower and with more decorum.
"I’ll be staying in Silas’s room from now on," she announced between bites, her voice muffled by food. "At least for the time being."
The reaction was immediate.
"What?!" Damon’s voice exploded across the room.
Damian’s expression went cold and hard. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
