3
I had to say that when the boxes continued to pile up in our bedchamber Draven’s face was a picture. I didn’t know what was funnier, Draven’s shock or the guys’ pitying looks they gave their King as they walked through the room. Draven had his hand on the door holding it open as Zagan, Adam and Ragnar continued inside each carrying as many boxes as their arms would allow. Draven’s eyes would follow one box after another and just as he was going to close the door, in walked Pip swinging two big, blue bags full of even more stuff.
I knew it was bad when I saw him gripping the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger before closing his eyes and muttering something in another language. I looked to the door and now saw Sophia leaning casually against it looking at her nails with a smug grin she wasn’t even trying to hide, damn her!
“Is that the last of it?” Zagan asked Adam who after first looking to Draven, decided to quietly shake his head indicating no, it wasn’t. Unfortunately for me, Draven saw it and after taking a deep breath released it again on a big sigh.
“Gentlemen, I think I need a moment alone with my wife,” he said, and I swear it was almost comical the way the three men nearly ran from the room.
“Not a problem,” Zagan said quickly, obviously in a hurry to make it to freedom.
“But of course, My Lord,” Adam said following suit after first bending slightly so that he could pick up his own little wife by putting her over his shoulder.
“Sure thing, Boss man!” Pip said giving him a salute as Adam walked them both past. I nearly groaned out loud when I saw Pip mouth the words, ‘You’re screwed’ at me.
“Certainly, my King,” Ragnar said bowing his head as he too made a swift getaway, patting me on the shoulder as he passed. And his own parting words,
“Good luck, little apple.” This time I finally did growl making him chuckle as he left the room. Jeez, was everyone a bloody comedian now!
Well one look at Sophia and the answer to that was no, just half of them were reborn into bloody demons, so really what did I expect?! I rolled my eyes at her when she mouthed the words, ‘Told you so,’ before she was swiftly grabbed from around the doorway by Zagan, who snagged her arm and thankfully for me, dragged her out of the room. The eruption of laughter from all of them could be still heard even after Draven had closed the door.
“So, I went shopping,” I blurted out and Draven made another quick sweep of the room, that currently resembled a small warehouse and replied,
“Yes, so I see.” The hint of sarcasm couldn’t be missed.
“Oh, come on, it’s not like I spent a fortune as it was bloody Ikea for God’s sake, not imported from Italy and besides, I hardly ever spend any money and I didn’t even use that fancy gold card you gave me.” I said in a hurry which for some reason caused him to tip his head back and look up at the Gods as if they held some of the answers.
“I know I am going to regret asking this but please tell me you stumbled across my treasury and paid for this the old-fashioned way?” I gave him a questioning look before asking,
“The old-fashioned way?”
“In gold, Keira,” he informed me wryly and I nearly laughed. Okay, so with this question I couldn’t actually tell if he was joking or not, so I asked the next question that popped into my head.
“You have a treasury?!” He released a sigh and muttered,
“Well, there’s my answer…yes my Love, we have a treasury,” he replied after first talking to himself and then making sure to emphasise the word ‘We’ in that sentence. What can I say, money was still kind of a sore point with me as I hated spending what I myself hadn’t earned.
“Oh,” was my simple whispered answer.
“Now for my next question,” he said sternly, stepping around each box and coming closer towards me with clear determination in his strides. I backed up a step knowing this dominating side of Draven well and that somewhere along the line I had said something to frustrate him. This usually meant one thing and that was whatever was said next was going to end with a demanding, toe curling kiss…or at least I hoped it would.
I ended up against his desk by the time he reached me, and I placed a hand on each side of the carved wood at my back to steady myself as he leaned closer into my body…well as much as my baby bump would allow anyway.
“Um…shoot,” I said after first having to clear my voice making him smirk down at me in that bad ass cocky way of his. Seriously, would I ever get used to how sexy and gorgeous this man was or the even more shocking fact that I was actually married to him?
“Alright sweetheart, now I suggest you think really hard about the next answer you give me, for it could push me over the edge if I hear the wrong one.” I swallowed hard making him put a hand to my throat and stroke down its length leisurely. His other arm was positioned above me, pinning me in with no escape. I swore, if he carried on like this I would end up a puddle on the floor with a baby in the middle asking what the hell just happened!
“O…kay,” I said or at least tried to, as to be honest, I couldn’t tell how it sounded. It could have just been a squeak for all I knew. His smug grin told me as much.
“Pray tell me, my dear sweet girl, for I so wish to know how you paid for…all of this,” he asked, pausing so that he could sweep a hand out at the floor indicating all I had bought.
“Ah, well…” I started, now knowing what this was all about. He laughed once only it was done so out of mockery, not humour. Okay, so I knew I was in trouble here because as much as I hated spending his money, he equally hated me spending my own as he had quickly declared his vast fortune as ‘ours’…a sentiment I didn’t share I might add.
“Well wife of mine, let’s hear it,” he said knowing he was backing me into a corner and not just physically. Oh yeah, I was going to get broody demanding Draven alright. And from the look of the way those large shoulder muscles were punishing the material on his t shirt, then it looked as though I wasn’t going to be making baby furniture tonight as I had thought. I got wet just thinking about it and had to bite my lip to prevent a moan from escaping.
“Okay, so don’t be mad but well…”
“Yes…?” Draven purred knowing I was stalling for time.
“I kinda used…well okay so if you must know I used my savings to buy it all,” I told him just blurting it out and making him growl at me. There had once been a time that hearing Draven’s reaction to something he didn’t like would have had me flinching in fear. I knew he would never hurt me, but back then it was still something that took some getting used to. After all, Draven was as famous for his temper as Lucius was for keeping his icy, deadly cool.
But the difference now was that I knew how to master it and what I did next would have made people ask if I was crazy or if I had a death wish. I raised my hand to his cheek, gently slapped it twice and then raised on my tiptoes and said,
“Suck it up big man, your wife doesn’t like spending other people’s money, so deal with it.” Then I kissed his cheek and ducked under his arm moving about half a step before I was in his arms again. Now I was the one smirking to myself as I heard yet another growl in my ear before I felt him nip at the lobe.
“How am I ever to win this war against your stubborn mind, woman?” he asked with his lips at my neck and with a voice that was thick and gruff thanks to his growing arousal I also felt pressing into me from behind. Well, it certainly had to be said that the once held notion I had that Draven wouldn’t find me sexy when pregnant was once again proven wrong, like the hundreds of times before now.
It also seemed that the bigger I got, the more and more he cooed over just how sexy he found me. He also relished in this new challenge in finding positions that worked with a big belly in the way. I had to say, that like anything else where it concerned Draven, he certainly knew how to conquer the battle and conquer he did… often in fact.
He soon cottoned on that with the release of endorphins with every orgasm he gave me, my bad mood pregnant hormones would just float away and become lost in a sea of happiness. The reasons he gave for then having the excuse to do this as frequently as possible. I think if it had been left up to Draven then he would have preferred we just spend the whole nine months in bed! But as I continued to remind him, we did have other stuff to do and in my case, shopping for the baby. Thus bringing me back once again to dealing with a sexually hungry beast of a man growling at me.
“Well, you could let me have my way and win the war that way,” I suggested with a smug tone making him bite my neck playfully. The next thing I knew I was being swept up into his arms and instead of trying to navigate around all the boxes he decided on a better way. I squealed when his wings suddenly burst from his back just long enough to quickly propel us forward towards the bed in one of the quickest flights I had ever had with Draven. His wings hit either side of the bed posts to stop us from going too far and I yelped at the sound. I was still amazed how he could do such things with me in his arms without jarring me once in his hold.
“I think I know a better way to win the war you wage on my heart, wife of mine,” he said as he lay me down as gently as supernaturally possible. I then sat up quickly grabbed his t shirt and yanked him hard to me.
“Don’t you mean the war I wage on your straining manhood?” I teased looking down to see it currently trying to immortally imprint its silhouette onto the denim that was still keeping it prisoner. I had to say that from the size of it, then I doubted the denim was up to the task at keeping it contained for much longer!
He followed my gaze down before looking back up again slowly in a predatory way. I was met with an intense purple stare that told me he was close to the demonic edge. Now being pregnant we hadn’t yet had chance to play at it rough and try out my new vampire body. Well okay, so not much had changed in the looks department, in fact nothing had changed other than having to learn to get a handle on my fangs and creepy black eyes thingy.
I still even got split ends! I remember being outraged in the bathroom when finding them…Draven thought it had been hilarious at the time when racing in to find me stomping my foot and ranting on about the injustice of it all. I mean is that what I get for saving the world, not even a break from split ends and chipped fingernails?
Okay so yeah, looking back at the grand scheme of things then this wasn’t really anything to moan about but at the time, well let’s just say raging bitch hormones were winning ten billion to one on the nice, bad Keira scale!
“Are you trying to get punished, little Vixen of mine?” Draven asked in a demonic purr. I shuddered beneath him after he lowered himself down over me, holding himself from crushing me with his weight with both fists pressing into the bed either side of my head.
“Ah now I see that threat worked,” he said in response to my gulp.
“Good, it’s about time I had you back under my control and we both know there is only one way I can achieve such a thing.” To this I was about to argue, but then he held all his weight with one hand freeing up his other. This was then used against me like he first threatened…and holy crap had it worked the sneaky bastard. He simply had to dip his hand under the stretchy waistband of my maternity pants and hey presto, he was in. I sucked in a sharp breath at the first feel of him parting my wet folds, only to let it all out in a whoosh when he skimmed slowly across my sweet spot.
But I wasn’t lost yet and I wanted to show him that his vixen still had a few sparks left in her.
“Are you going to pull a rabbit outta there?” He grinned down at me, leant in that little bit closer and said,
“Oh, I am not going to pull anything out of there…” He paused for effect before suddenly plunging two fingers inside me making me scream with the pleasure of it. I raised my body up, arching my back just as he whispered the rest of his lingered sentence,
“…Put in however, now that’s a different story.” He accentuated his point by curling his finger up slightly and stroking on my inner G spot. I cried out again and he chuckled before whispering in my ear,
“Now there’s my good girl,” Then he released his intimate hold on me before gently lifting me up so that he could slowly remove my clothes before doing the same with his own. I smiled knowing he did this just to tease me and make me wait as was usually ‘my punishment’.
Then he shifted me around into one of those easier positions that put me on my side, so that he could still see my face as I came. He was like a man obsessed and sometimes I had to wonder if most of the pleasure found for him in the bedroom wasn’t down to forcing orgasms on me. He liked to watch my face the moment I came, telling me once he had never seen anything more beautiful than that of my soul lighting up the way it did just for him.
“Now it’s time I take care of my well-behaved wife for being so good for me,” he praised and right there surrounded by unopened Ikea boxes, he kept his promise and took care of me…
Over and over and over again.
“You know, this doesn’t mean you can get out of helping me put this stuff together,” I said leaning over his bare torso and looking at all the cardboard that currently still littered our bedroom. He didn’t say anything but simply started to raise his arm as he was about to click his fingers and it would be done. I quickly grabbed his hand in mine and stopped with a screech,
“No! That’s not what I meant.” His lips twitched as if he found this amusing but was trying to rein it in. Instead of laughing he raised an eyebrow in question and encased my little hand in his much larger one.
“And may I enquire as to why I am not to utilise the gifts the Gods deemed upon me on this occasion?” He asked with a smirk as if he knew this was going to be good.
“Because I am still human…or at least some of me is,” I amended. At this he gave me a soft look before running a firm hand down my naked back and then featherlight caresses back up my spine. I shuddered at the feeling and couldn’t help the small moan that rumbled out.
“Yes, you are but I think we should fully explore just which parts are…for scientific purposes of course.” He teased this last part over my lips before sucking in the bottom one and holding it dangerously in his teeth. I moaned again louder this time, and he let it go so that he could inform me seductively,
“I think we just found our first piece, Mrs Draven.”
Shortly after this I found out that Draven hadn’t been joking when he said he wanted to explore me, as ‘explore’ was just what he did. Every inch of me for that matter and there were both tears of laughter from tickling fingers, and tears from pleasure he inflicted upon those ‘found human parts’…which according to him, were pretty much everywhere there was skin.
I could have sworn that sometimes it was as though Draven was trying to brand the memory of every inch of my body to his memory. I think it all stemmed from him seeing me die that day back in the Janus temple. I knew from experience that there was nothing more crushing in this world than believing your loved one had died, but for him, not only was he forced to see it, he was also forced to be the one that committed the act against his will.
This, for Draven, had snapped something deep inside him and I couldn’t help but think back to that night after the war had been won…
After Draven had killed me.
But what I was soon to discover was that our troubles were far from over and like most stories, this one needed to be told from the beginning.
A beginning that meant our Happy Ever Afterlife would have to wait and something I would have to fight Hell for…
Again.