Laish’s face darkened. “There is no way you should have been able to hear us—we were cocooned in a circle of silence.”
“Well, I heard anyway,” I snapped. “Heard exactly what you and Belial think I’m worth—nothing.”
“It is not that Belial is an uncaring monster or that he dislikes you—he is simply protective of me,” Laish said, frowning.
“What about when he asked you why you bothered with me?” I demanded, not willing to let it go. “When he asked why you went to all the trouble and pain for me and you said…” My voice cracked but I forced myself to hold my head up and keep the hot tears that were stinging my eyes from falling. “You said you didn’t know. You didn’t know how you felt about me or even why you cared.”
“Because I didn’t!” For the first time, Laish raised his voice. “I didn’t understand the hold you had on me, my little witch. If I were still the being I was created to be, I would have said that I loved you. But I am a demon—I have no love in my heart. For that matter—I barely have a heart to love with. And yet, you draw me to you like a moth to the flame. I cannot free myself from your spell.” His voice dropped. “I do not even want to.”
“Right.” My voice trembled, tears threatening to push through my wall of protective sarcasm. “Why should I believe you?” I asked him. “Why should I believe your lies?”
“Because they are not lies. Look.”
Turning me around, he marched me back towards the mirror. When I realized where we were going, I began to struggle in his arms.
“No—no! I’m not looking in there again!” I shouted.
“Be still, Gwendolyn,” he said firmly. “You are not going to look into it—I am.”
“What are you talking about?” I demanded as he reached the mirror with me in tow.
Laish turned to face me.
“Belial told you how it works, did he not? That the first thing the mirror shows you is the thing you love the most?”
“Well…yes,” I admitted grudgingly. “He said something like that. It showed me Grams the first time I looked into it.”
“Of course it did.” He sighed. “And the second time it showed you your sister. Do I dare to ask if it showed me to you at all?”
I thought of the brief glimpse I’d gotten of his face before the strange blonde girl with the feathery wrap around her shoulders showed up.
“No,” I said firmly, lifting my chin. “It didn’t show you at all.”
His mouth tightened. “Then this should be a humiliating experience.”
“What should?” I asked, frowning.
“We are going to look into the mirror together, Gwendolyn. Or rather, I am going to look and you will stand behind me, looking over my shoulder—in this way you will see what I see.”
I didn’t want to do it but he seemed determined. He positioned himself in front of the cracked surface of the mirror and I stood just behind him, standing on my tiptoes to get a look over his broad shoulder.
At first I saw only the two of us reflected in the silvery surface. Laish standing there, his broad, bare chest hiding my smaller form and me peeking over his shoulder like a little girl afraid of monsters. Which I was to be honest—no way did I want to see that freaky HellSpawn coming after me again.
Then the kaleidoscope colors began. When they finished swirling, Laish had faded from the picture and it was just me, standing there in my white nighty and robe, looking frightened and unsure.
“I don’t get it,” I said, frowning. “You disappeared and it’s just me.”
“Exactly.” His voice was low and warm and when I looked away from the mirror—I was able to do it somehow, maybe because it was showing things to him and not me—I saw there was an unreadable look in his ruby red eyes.
“Laish…” I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I,” he murmured. “But the Mirror of the Eye cannot lie—it shows what is in a person’s heart. And you are in mine, mon ange.”
“But why? How?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. You are changing me, I think. How exactly you are doing this or what you are changing me into, I have no idea.” He shrugged, his broad, bare shoulders rolling with the movement. “It is…disconcerting to say the least.”
“I don’t know what to say.” I left him and went to sit on the far side of the couch. “I’m not working any spells on you, if that’s what you think. Not that my magic could have much effect on a powerful demon like you.”
He laughed, a low, rich sound I could feel in my bones.
“I do not think you are doing it on purpose, my little witch. Nor do I blame you for it.”
“But it’s ruining you—stealing your power,” I argued. “You gave up one of your most powerful forms for me. And Belial said it causes you agonizing pain every time you feed me with your blood.”
His face darkened.
“That was not for Belial to speak of. I will have to have words with him.”
“But is it true?” I demanded.
He frowned. “Well…yes,” he admitted at last. “Is that why you refused my offer of supper?”
I crossed my arms over my chest.
“I’m not going to have you hurting yourself for me every time I get a little ‘peckish,’ as Grams says.”
“Gwendolyn, I do not think you understand.” He sank down on the couch beside me and took one of my hands in both of his. “Look at me.”
I didn’t want to but the force of his eyes on my face compelled me.
“What?” I asked at last, looking up unwillingly.
“It is my pleasure to feed you,” Laish murmured, stroking my hand and the inside of my wrist in a way that made my heart start to pound. “My pleasure to sacrifice for you…to bear pain for your sake if necessary. I care for you in a way I do not understand but it makes me want to give of myself to you. Will you let me?”
“I…” I bit my lip, my heart thudding in my ears. “I don’t know,” I said at last. “Maybe…maybe later. I’m not very hungry right now.”
“Will you let me give you comfort, then?” he asked softly. “You are trembling like a leaf.”
“Am I?” I took stock of myself and realized that I was. Maybe it was the shock of what had happened with the mirror sinking in but I felt cold despite the fire’s warmth—so cold I thought I might never be warm again.
“Gwendolyn, come here.”
Laish gathered me into his arms and for some reason I let him. I pressed my cold cheek against his warm chest and breathed in his cinnamon and dark spice scent, trying not to think about Keisha and everything else I’d seen in the mirror. Trying not to cry.
“They are just tears, mon ange,” Laish rumbled, stroking my hair. “Let them fall.”
I tried to stop myself but I couldn’t help it when a few hot drops rolled down my cheeks. Laish stroked my back and shoulders and held me tight.
“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” I whispered at last, trying to get control of myself. “I never would have tried to kill anyone like that before—not the way I was about to do it. My plan was to put a revenge spell on him—one that would make him waste away and leave Keisha alone. But just now I…” I swallowed hard. “I wanted to rip his heart out and squeeze it to a pulp. That’s what I was trying to do before that…that thing appeared and tried to get me.”
“Doubtless it was the HellSpawn working its will on you through the mirror.” Laish shook his head. “I never should have let you come in here alone with it. Belial told me that it opened for you but I thought it had only one picture to show. I never dreamed that the thing which seeks you would be intelligent enough to track you through it.”
“Does it know where I am now?” I looked up at him anxiously, wiping my eyes with my fingers. “Does it know my exact location?”
“If not the exact location, then it will have a very good approximation.” Laish sighed. “I have taken some precautions to throw it off your trail—I had four different demons
wear the clothing you had on yesterday and spread your scent in four different directions.”
“You did?” I asked.
Laish nodded. “I hoped to buy us an extra night to spend recuperating here where it is relatively safe before we pushed on. But now…” He sighed again. “Now I fear we must continue our journey tomorrow. We must cross the barrier between Dis and the Sunless Sea as soon as may be.”
“Cross the barrier…right.” I bit my lip as I considered the implications. “I…I guess that means we have to pay the Sin Tax tonight after all,” I whispered.
Laish looked troubled.
“It would be best. There is no privacy by the barrier that leads to the Sunless Sea—it is right in the middle of Dis by the Great Hoof.”
“Is that a landmark?” I asked.
He nodded. “As well as a literal hoof—one of Beelzebub’s. It has been made into a tavern now.”
“Of course,” I muttered. For a moment I pictured a huge hoof so big you could go and have a beer inside it. But the picture couldn’t hold my attention for long—not when I knew what we had to do. “The tax,” I said, looking up at Laish. “Does it…does it have to be paid in lust?”
“No,” he said calmly. “I can find you a sentient creature to kill if you wish. Maybe one of the lesser imps that Belial keeps around the Citadel to run errands? If you do it correctly, the killing can be quick and painless.”
I thought of Bobbin with his tiny cloven hooves…his sharp little horns and shy smile. Though I had been filled with murderous intent towards Keisha’s pimp just a few minutes ago, the idea of killing anyone, especially the cute little imp, left me cold.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No, I can’t do that. I won’t.”
Laish shrugged. “Well, I am uncertain what else you could do. If we were in a lesser circle of Hell you might be able to steal something you coveted to pay the tax. But this close to the center of the Infernal Realm I am afraid a larger sin is required—a more concrete transgression. Besides, if you steal from the wrong merchant here, you could wind up losing a hand. That would not be pleasant.”
“No, it wouldn’t,” I agreed fervently.
“What is it, Gwendolyn?” He lifted my chin and looked at me intently. “Is it that you still fear me? Or that you dislike me now?”
“I wasn’t too happy with you for a while there. But…no, it’s not that anymore.” Not after what I’d seen in the mirror. I knew that he felt for me now and I was beginning to think I felt something for him, too. How or why was a mystery to us both but I couldn’t be mad at him for not understanding what was between us when I didn’t understand it myself.
“Do you fear that I cannot help you pay the tax without taking your virginity?” Laish asked softly.
“Well…yes, I guess so.” I imagined him between my legs, entering me and I could feel my heart pounding in every part of my body—even my fingertips. It seemed to shake me with its beating and I couldn’t get a deep enough breath.
“It may yet come to that, Gwendolyn,” he murmured, keeping his eyes locked with mine. “But it need not yet—not here. I do not know what we may have to do in order to breach the barrier that stands between the Sunless Sea and the Abyss, but here and now, I am quite certain that I can help you pay the tax while keeping your innocence—at least a little longer.”
“You…you can?” I whispered, licking my lips nervously. “I mean…how?”
“Easily.” A slow smile spread across his sensuous lips. “You need only let me taste you.”
I knew what he meant at once and the very thought of it made my cheeks hot and my hands shake.
“I…you…” I looked down at my fingers which were twisted in my lap. “You really want to do that, don’t you?”
Laish lifted my chin and looked into my eyes.
“To spread your soft little cunt lips with my tongue and explore your hidden pleasures with my mouth? To taste your sweet honey right from the source? I want that more than anything, mon ange.”
“I…” I found I was tongue-tied again. I knew he liked my scent and my taste—he’d said it to me more than once. Yet, I’d never had a man down there, between my legs, and the very idea seemed so forbidden and wrong and sensual and hot all at the same time I felt like I was twisted in knots inside.
“We can take things slowly,” Laish murmured, stroking my hot cheek with his long fingers. “We can start with a simple kiss if you like.”
“Just…just a kiss?” I asked, looking up at him.
He nodded. “Just a kiss. I will not even need to remove your panties—to begin with, anyway.”
I thought about it for a moment. The idea of having him kiss me down there with my panties still on, not even touching bare skin, seemed a lot less scary than the idea of taking everything off and letting him dive right in, as it were.
“Well…” I hesitated and Laish was silent, not pressuring me, letting me make up my mind. “Just a kiss, then,” I said at last, nodding. “Just to let me know…know what it’s like.”
“Of course.” I had expected him to carry me off to the bedroom and go for it right away. Instead he surprised me by pulling me close and taking my mouth with his. Softly and gently he parted my lips with his tongue, stroking my cheek with his fingertips as he tasted my mouth.
I felt myself melting against him because I knew what he was doing—he was showing me exactly how gentle he could be. He was letting me know what I could expect from him and it was all tenderness and patience.
“Goddess,” I whispered at last, panting, when he drew back and looked me in the eyes. “You really know how to make a girl crazy.”
A little grin touched the corner of his mouth.
“I’ve barely begun, mon ange. Will you allow me to kiss you elsewhere now?”
I nibbled my lower lip where I could still feel the soft press of his mouth.
“I…I guess so.”
“Thank you—you honor me with your trust.”
Slowly, he slid off the couch and settled on the floor in front of me.
“What—right here?” I asked, feeling uncertain all over again. “You don’t want to take me to the bedroom? Where it’s, uh, nice and dark?”
“No.” Laish shook his head firmly. “I wish to see you, mon ange—want to watch your face as I taste your sweet pussy. And I want you to watch while I do it—that will make your pleasure even more intense. It should also allay some of your fear because you will be able to see exactly what I am doing.”
“But…but…” I didn’t know how I felt about this. Didn’t know if I wanted to see him do that to me. But Laish stroked my trembling thighs soothingly with his big hands.
“Just a kiss to start with,” he reminded me. “And you do not even have to take off your panties.”
“Oh, that’s right…” I took a deep breath. I can do this. I have to do this. “All right,” I said at last and forced my legs to part, though it was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. “Just a kiss.”
“Good.” Laish looked up at me and stroked my inner thighs. “Just a kiss.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
Laish
How can I explain the rush of emotion I felt when Gwendolyn finally parted her thighs for me? When she finally trusted me enough to open up and let me give her pleasure? I felt fiercely protective of her—wanting to earn the trust she’d shown me. At the same time I felt admiration for her courage—this was no easy thing for her to do and I well knew it. And I would be lying if I didn’t admit that blood surged to my cock at the sight of her lying open before me at last.
She was wearing the little white panties I’d laid out for her and the fragile lace barely covered her plump pussy mound. Already I could see her moisture gathering, making the thin white material almost transparent. It clung to her outer lips in a way that was distractingly erotic.
“Gods, mon ange,” I murmured, running one finger down the clearly delineated cleft of her pussy. “Look how wet you’re already gettin
g. Look how eager your pussy is to be kissed.”
“Laish…” she protested in a breathless voice. Looking up, I saw that her cheeks were flushed and her green eyes were bright in the firelight. Clearly she was still a little uncertain about letting me do this. That was all right—I was determined to win her trust completely. And to that end, I would take things slowly—as slowly as she needed me to.
“It’s all right, mon ange,” I assured her, kissing her inner thigh and making her jump.
“No, it’s not. I didn’t know…I mean, I don’t know why I’m so, uh…”
“Wet? Aroused?” I suggested in a low voice. “Maybe because your body is ready for things your mind is still coming to terms with.”
“Maybe,” she whispered, biting her lip. “But it’s still embarrassing.”
“It’s beautiful,” I corrected her gently. “I knew those panties would look perfect on you, especially once your pussy got wet. I love how transparent they are…how I can see your cunt lips parting and your little clit swelling with need.”
“Goddess!” Her cheeks got even darker but I could tell by her breathing and the way her sweet, feminine scent intensified that my words were arousing her. Though she didn’t like to admit it, my dirty talk affected her greatly. For myself, I enjoyed it as well. I loved to tell her in no uncertain terms how beautiful I found her lush body and exactly what I wanted to do to it.
“May I kiss you now?” I asked, looking up at her. “May I pleasure you with my mouth, Gwendolyn?”
“I…I guess so. Yes.” She nodded, the look in her eyes both fearful and eager.
“Thank you,” I murmured. I knew what she expected me to do—knew she thought I would kiss her pussy through the thin, transparent panties at once. But such directness would not have stimulated her. Besides, I loved violating her expectations.
Starting just by her left knee, I began to lick a long, slow trail up her inner thigh. It was the way I had licked her clean after I brought her to orgasm the night before and I wanted to remind her of it—to remind her that I would be gentle and tender in all things.
She moaned softly and I felt a little of the tension leave her thighs as she opened wider to me.