CHAPTER FOURTY

Ella

It begins as yet another erotic dream.

Rough, calloused hands roam over my bare skin, their firm grip sending shivers through me as they knead my breasts, thumbs grazing my hardened, aching nipples.

I arch instinctively, pressing closer, feeling the heat of his body, the commanding weight pinning me down into the mattress.

His muscular legs part mine effortlessly, his arousal teasing my entrance, the broad tip sliding through my slick folds, brushing against my sensitive clit with just enough pressure to make me gasp.

A moan escapes my lips as I grind against him, my body pulsing with the desperate need to take him deep inside. I’m soaked, breathless, my fingers digging into the firm muscles of his ass, trying to pull him in, urging him to take me.

A low, seductive chuckle rumbles from his chest, his strong hands capturing my wrists, pinning them above my head.

"Miss me, my pet?" he murmurs, his voice rich and teasing, his warm breath ghosting over my skin, sending chills down my spine.

My pet? Lucifer never says that in my dreams—

A sharp intake of breath leaves me as my eyes fly open… and there he is.

Lucifer.

Naked. Aroused. His body sprawled over mine, holding me firmly against the bed.

His dark hair is cropped shorter than before, his breathtaking features sharpened with raw desire, his blue eyes gleaming like cut sapphires.

I go rigid, staring up at him, my pulse hammering wildly in my chest. For a fleeting moment, I think I must still be dreaming, that my mind is weaving illusions to torment me.

The room tilts, my vision blurring, and it dawns on me—I’ve forgotten to breathe. The shock has stolen every bit of air from my lungs.

I suck in a sharp breath, still frozen, as he lowers his head, his mouth capturing mine. His tongue slips between my parted lips, claiming me, and the intoxicatingly familiar taste of him makes my head reel.

There’s no longer a shred of doubt.

It’s Lucifer—alive, breathing, and just as overpowering as ever.

Rage, hot and blistering, surges through me. He’s alive. He’s been alive all along! While I drowned in grief, struggling to piece together the wreckage of my soul, he was out there, existing—thriving—probably laughing at my pathetic attempts to move on.

My teeth sink into his lip, vicious and unrelenting, driven by the primal urge to make him bleed, to tear into him as he tore apart my heart. A sharp burst of metallic tang floods my mouth, and he jerks back with a curse, his eyes flashing with fury.

But I’m not afraid. Not anymore.

"Let me go," I snarl, thrashing in his grip. "You fucking asshole! You bastard! You were never dead! You were never fucking dead..." My voice betrays me on the last words, breaking into a strangled sob, humiliation burning through me.

His jaw clenches, his expression unreadable, the sensual curve of his lips marred by the crimson imprint of my bite. He holds me easily, his rigid cock pressed threateningly against my entrance.

Furious, I twist sharply, trying to sink my teeth into him again, but he shifts, capturing my wrists in one firm grip, restraining me effortlessly. His free hand tangles in my hair, yanking my head back as he tightens his hold.

Now I’m completely immobilized, unable to do anything but glare at him, my eyes burning with unshed tears of fury and raw frustration.

Unexpectedly, his expression shifts, a trace of amusement flickering across his face. "Seems like my little kitten found her claws," he murmurs, his tone rich with dark amusement. "I have to say, I rather like it."

A violent wave of rage crashes over me. "Go to hell!" I scream, bucking wildly against him, uncaring that our bare bodies grind together. "Screw you and whatever the fuck you like!"

His mouth descends on mine, swallowing my furious words, but I snap my teeth at him in another attempt to bite.

He jerks back just in time, chuckling softly. At the same moment, the thick head of his cock nudges against my entrance, pressing forward.

Maddened beyond reason, I shriek, but his right hand releases my hair, clamping over my mouth instead.

"Shhh," he whispers against my ear, ignoring my muffled cries. "We wouldn’t want your neighbors getting curious, now would we?"

Right now, I couldn't care less if the entire world heard us. A primal, burning need to hurt him—hurt him the way he hurt me—consumes me. If I had a gun, I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him for the torment he put me through.

But I have no gun. I have nothing at all. And he continues his slow, relentless push into my trembling body, his thick length stretching me, filling me with unbearable heat.

I’m still slick from my earlier “dream,” but my muscles are tight with rage, resisting the invasion, clenching in protest.

It’s like our first time all over again—except the whirlwind of emotions twisting inside me now is far more tangled than the fear I once felt. My frantic struggles gradually fade, and I stare up at him in stunned silence, still reeling from the shock of his return.

Once he’s buried fully inside me, he pauses, his hand gradually lifting from my mouth.

I remain silent, my tears sliding from the corners of my eyes.

Lowering his head, he presses a soft kiss to my lips, as if silently apologizing for the way he took me. My lungs seize; as always, this unsettling blend of cruelty and tenderness unravels me, tearing apart the fragile balance of my emotions.

"I’m sorry, baby," he murmurs, his lips brushing against my tear-streaked cheek. "This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

You were mine to protect, and I failed you. I fucked up—so damn badly..." He exhales shakily. "I never meant to leave you, never meant to let you go—"

"But you did." My voice is small, wounded, like a child’s. "You let me believe you were dead—"

"No." Releasing my wrists, he props himself up on his elbows, cupping my face in his large hands. His gaze burns into mine so intensely that I feel consumed by it. "It wasn’t like that. Not at all."

My hands slowly drop to his shoulders. "Then what was it like?" I ask bitterly. How could he do this to me? How could he steal me away, take everything I had, only to abandon me in the cruelest way possible?

"I’ll tell you everything," he vows, his voice thick with raw need. Sweat beads along his forehead, and I can feel his cock pulsing deep inside me.

He’s barely holding on to his control. "But right now, I need you, Ella. I need this..." He thrusts forward, and a sharp moan escapes me as he strikes my G-spot, sending a shockwave through my body.

"That’s it," he rasps, repeating the motion. "I need this. I want to feel your tight little pussy gripping me like a vice. I want to fuck you—I want to consume you. Every inch of you belongs to me, Ella. Only me..."

His head dips again, capturing my mouth in a deep, demanding kiss as his hips roll against mine with slow, deliberate intensity.

My breath quickens, liquid heat flooding my veins. My fingers tighten around his shoulders, and my legs wrap around his muscular waist, drawing him even deeper.

""But you did." My voice is small, fragile, like that of a wounded child. "You let me believe you were dead—"

"No." He releases my wrists and pushes up on his elbows, cradling my face between his large hands. His gaze locks onto mine with such intensity, I feel like he's swallowing me whole. "It wasn’t like that. Not at all."

My hands slowly drop to his shoulders. "Then what was it?" I demand bitterly. How could he do this to me? How could he take me, steal everything I had, only to leave me in the most brutal way imaginable?

"I’ll tell you everything," he vows, his voice low and thick with desire. Beads of sweat glisten on his brow, and I can feel his cock pulsing deep inside me. He’s barely hanging onto his control.

"But right now, I need you, Ella. I need this..." He thrusts forward, and I moan as he strikes my G-spot, sending a surge of pleasure through my body.

"That’s it," he murmurs roughly, repeating the motion. "I need this. I want to feel your tight little pussy gripping me like a second skin. I want to fuck you—I want to consume you. Every inch of you belongs to me, Ella. Only me..."

He lowers his head again, capturing my mouth in a deep, consuming kiss as he keeps thrusting into me with a slow, unyielding rhythm.

My breathing quickens, heat surging through my veins. My fingers dig into his shoulders, and my legs tighten around his powerful thighs, pulling him deeper.

After months of going without, it’s nearly overwhelming, but I welcome the sharp sting, the intoxicating mix of pleasure and pain as he claims me.

I feel the tension building, the tantalizing hum of impending release, and then I shatter with a strangled moan, my inner muscles gripping his thick length in a tight, pulsating hold.

"That’s it, baby," he groans roughly, his pace accelerating. Then, with a final, forceful thrust, he reaches his peak, his cock throbbing deep inside me.

I feel the rush of his release filling me, and I clutch him close as he collapses against me, his broad frame heavy, slick with sweat.