I swallowed hard. Damn.

"Answer me, Rika." He snarled.

"Y-yes." I kicked myself for sounding so breathless.

You are such a ho.

"Good. Now, did you just admit to me that you think, in that idiotic, stubborn, beautiful mind of yours, that you think I no longer want you?"

"Um...yes?" I replied tentatively. His whole body began to glow, his body heating. His eyes darkened, and pure rage shook his body.

"Wrong answer, Sweetheart."

In a flash, he rose to his full height, and I was once again reminded by how freaking tall he was. He towered over me, ebony wings unfurled, surrounded by his heavenly glow. It was truly intimidating. This was only compounded by the menace in his face.

"Hey, now," I gulped, "let's not-"

"No, let's," he growled, and attacked.

Before I knew it, he had swept me into his arms bridal style and began striding out of the doorway, stepping over the splintered remains of the doors. His hands seemed to inject heat into my skin, and the air around us crackled with energy. And no, I wasn't just talking about the "angelic power" kind.

Time for some careful intervention. I mean, I had no desire to be dropped on the ground.

I squirmed in protest, "hey, put me down!"

"No." He barked, stilling my movement with his steely arms. I searched his face for signs of strain. I frowned.

"I said, put me down! I'm too heavy, and I'd rather not land on my ass on this stone floor!" I demanded, trying to escape, with no success.

He snorted, smirking arrogantly, "Rika, I can, and have, lifted continents. I think I can manage a tiny thing like you."

I blushed furiously.

I'm hardly tiny. He's just giant.

I decided that any other objections were futile, and I might as well let myself enjoy it. I leaned by head against his chest, hearing his rapid heartbeat beneath my ear. It calmed me down.

In no time, I was unceremoniously thrown onto a soft, plush surface. Looking around, I saw it was the bedroom I had woken up in. And one I had been attacked by that Hound in. I shuddered at the memory, which was frankly traumatizing.

"Hush, now," Lucifer crooned, cupping my cheek and turning my face toward him, "I'm here. No one and nothing can harm you while I am with you."

He knew just what I was thinking, and he knew just what to say to calm my anxiety. My heart thudded in my chest, and my face heated.

"Now, my lovely, tiny, fiery idiot, let me tell you something that should have already been hammered into that thick skull of yours: I. Want. You. I want you, all of you, so bad it hurts more than my fall from grace."

Oh, lord.

Lock that bitch up and throw away the key.

"But, you didn't touch me," I said pathetically.

"I was trying to respect your boundaries, Love," he touched his forehead to mine, "I worried that by coming on too strong, I was driving you away. Restraining myself like that...it nearly killed me."

"Oh."

I was about to say something else, but I shut my mouth when his face morphed back into the stony anger that had followed my declaration in the library. Seems he hadn't forgotten about that.

What, like he'd forget in the five minutes it took to get up here? He's not you, Ammi. He can retain information for longer than thirty seconds.

He grabbed my attention with a rumbling, guttural growl.

"Back here, Rika. Back to me."

I focused in on him again. He softened.

"I want you to know, Love, that if I weren't worried about frightening you and taking things too fast, I'd have you over my knee right now."

I blanched.

What. The. Fuck.

"You...you what now? Why?" I sputtered, trying to move my face away. His hand tightened on my cheek, moving down to clasp my jaw. It was gentle, but inescapable. He forced me to look at him.

"I've recently had a revelation, Rika," he whispered huskily, "and that is that nothing in my many, many, many years of existing has made me angrier than seeing you doubt your self-worth."

"That doesn't explain-"

"I want to take you over my knee and spank your pretty little ass pink," he interrupted, his anger palpable, "because I want to punish you, because you are mine, and I look after what is mine. When someone hurts what is mine, I put a stop to it. So," he continued, ignoring my shocked expression, "when you are hurting yourself in any way, I will act accordingly."

"You sound like a parent," I panted, unable to help myself. Why was this so hot? It shouldn't be. What was wrong with me?

"Hardly, Kitten," the angel purred seductively, eyes smoldering in a very different way, "a parent wouldn't enjoy the act nearly as much as I would."

"You can't be serious," I said softly, unable to believe that he'd not only follow through on the carnal threat, but that he wanted to.

He leaned toward me, his minty breath fanning over my skin. I shivered and clenched my thighs together to relieve the ache that had begun to build between them. His hand that cupped my face slid down to my throat, stroking the sensitive skin below my jaw. My breath hitched as he slid his other hand from my thigh to my hip. He drew me closer, his lips touching my ear. I whimpered at the contact, and he chuckled sexily.

"By all means, Sweet," he breathed, lips moving against my skin, "continue to challenge me. I would simply love to prove to you just how serious I am."

I couldn't take this anymore. He was hardly playing fair.

I slid my hands into his long, black hair. He groaned in response. God, it was so silky.

"You're playing with fire, Kitten." He sounded strained, and I knew his threat was anything but empty.

I no longer cared.

I pulled, taking his mouth from my ear and looking into his face. His gorgeous, rugged, chiseled face. The passion reflected in his eyes was positively panty-melting.

"Rika..." He warned. I cut him off with my lips.

Instantly, I was crushed against his hard chest, his mouth devouring mine. He dragged me onto his lap, one large hand splayed across my back, the other tangling in my hair. He pulled, deepening the kiss as he forced my head back. He consumed me, and all I could do was clutch his shirt and take what he gave me.

"Father above," He snarled against my lips, "have I told you how much I fucking love your hair?" He tugged gently, and I gasped, "it is so fucking sexy; like fire curling around your body."

He covered my mouth again before I could respond, his teeth latching onto my lower lip in a gentle grip. My head swam with his kiss. He was staking a claim, and he made sure I knew it.

Two could play at that game.

Tentatively, I traced his lower lip with my tongue, before I explored his mouth further.

For a moment, his astonishment allowed me to have my moment of control. However, he soon recovered, and with a vengeance. He broke away with a growl, and I gasped for breath, thinking it was over. He had other ideas. He moved to my neck, tipping my head back for better access. I gasped as he ran opened-mouth kisses down the column of my throat.

"You're so soft, Kitten."

I barely heard him, because right after he hit a spot that had my back bowing, crying out as a sizzling pleasure raced through my veins.

What was that?

"Found it," Lucifer chuckled, smirking against my neck. I was panting from just the slightest touch of his lips there. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before.

I opened my mouth to ask, but instead mewled helplessly as he attacked the spot with vigor, nibbling and kissing. His assault had me trembling as I struggled to handle the unfamiliar waves of pleasure that crashed over my body.

"Please, Luce!" I cried out, my voice desperate and breathy. I instantly flushed with embarrassment. My voice was thick with desire and need.

Lucifer, however, seemed extraordinarily pleased.

"Hell, Rika," he groaned, his hips thrusting forward against me, his arousal obvious, "do you have any idea what you do to me?" He latched onto my neck and sucked, hard.

Suddenly, I flew.

I shattered against him, tremors racing across my body. I was helpless against it's force and power. Lucifer held me tightly, his hand caressing my back, cooing encouragements in my ear as I coped with the sensation.

When I finally came down completely from my extraordinary high, I realized what had happened.

Had I come from him kissing my neck?

Oh god.

I was positively mortified. My face was pressed into Lucifer's chest, and I wanted to stay there for eternity. Anything but facing him after that. What must he think of me?

"Kitten?"

I buried my face further into his slate-gray shirt. My face was as red as my hair.

Please, just let me die.

I had never wished so hard that I would stop existing.

"Look at me, Love," he coaxed, his tone tinged with anxiety.

Not happening. Nope. Noping the fuck out.

He pulled back, hooking a finger under my chin to study my face.

His reaction took me completely off-guard.

"Are you actually embarrassed by that?" he asked, his face a mixture of anger and disbelief. My face, if possible, flamed to a more intense red.

"Yes," I replied, my voice small, "of course I am. You...I...you know what, let me go. I can't talk about this." I struggled to free myself, hoping to gain some distance to gather my scattered thoughts.

It's called a filter, Ammi! Use it, you loose-lipped pea brain!

"Don't think so, Rika," he replied calmly, caging me in with his muscular arms.

I glared at him, my temper flaring.

Good. I can do angry. I know how to be angry.

"Why the hell not? Let me go, you Neanderthal!"

"Because, Rika," he told me calmly, "we were just truly intimate for the first time. I won't have you feeling embarrassed and insecure about the best thing I've had the pleasure of experiencing." I looked up. His face was soft, sweet. He held me, looked at me like I was the most precious and beautiful creature on the planet.

He must have seen the doubt on my face, because he tightened his grip on my waist.

"Watching you come apart in my arms is the most beautiful thing I've had the privilege of seeing, and," his expression became more heated, "as for how responsive you are," he drew closer, "it turns me on to no end."

I bit my lip, and his eyes darkened.

Okay, time to cool down.

This time, he let me go, though he let me know how opposed he was to the idea. I took a deep, shuddering breath to calm myself. His eyes stayed on me as I paced the bedroom.

"I assume you have some questions?"

"Oh, 'some' doesn't even begin to cover it," I shot back, running a hand through my hair. I blushed anew as I realized how tousled it was.

The smug asshole smirked, leaning back against the headboard of the king-sized bed. He knew exactly what was running through my head.

"Ask away, Rika. I'm an open book."

"Okay, so," I stopped and fidgeted, "I don't know much about...you know," I began, hiding behind my hair.

"I'm sure I don't."

I shot my head up to fix him with a deadly glare. He remained uncowed.

"I don't have...a ton of experience," I muttered, shuffling my feet, "with sex."

He grinned at me, his inky hair falling forward onto his forehead. His relaxed position was so effortlessly sexy and masculine. The man belonged on a GQ cover.

"I'm aware that you are a virgin, and it pleases me," he sat forward, "if you have questions, I'd hope you'd be comfortable asking me."

Yeah, right.

"Well, just one question..."

"Anything."

"Luce, what...spot...was that?" I barely managed to get the words out. If only the ground would swallow me up.

He snagged my hand and pulled me over to him. I sat on the edge of the bed, and his trailed a finger down my throat. He met my wide-eyed stare with his own, stormy blue one.

"When a being finds their mate, they claim them. It is a message to every supernatural creature, letting them know not to try anything. It's our version of a wedding ring," he gave me a lopsided grin, "we do it through a bite. However, in order to make it as pleasurable for the female as it is for the male, the spot is very sensitive."

I gaped at him.

"So, you found the spot where you're supposed to bite me?"

"No, I found the spot where I will bite you," he corrected, his gaze intense and possessive.

"Oh."

"Don't worry, Rika," he chuckled, "I won't force anything like that on you right now."

I nodded, trusting him completely. I knew deep down, he would never do anything I wasn't comfortable with.

"More questions?"

"Well," a thought popped into my head, and popped out of my mouth before my brain could catch up, "what about you?"

Fuck. Fuckity fuck.

His eyebrows hit his hairline.

"What about me?"

"You know, your," I coughed. God, I was so awkward, "erm, situation."

He paused for a moment, blinking dumbly while he processed my words. Then, he threw his head back, falling back onto the bed as he indulged in a deep, heaving, belly laugh. He clutched his abdomen as his body shook with his mirth.

I huffed, "glad I could be so entertaining. I'll just be going now." I turned on my heel, fully intending to leave him to his giggle fit. However, he wrapped a forearm around my waist and pulled me back.

"I'm sorry, Amirykal. It's just sometimes your innocence blindsides me. You are normally so blunt and direct. Seeing you out of sorts is simultaneously endearing and hilarious." He chuckled, trying to contain his shit-eating grin.

"How am I supposed to ask you things if you just laugh at me?" I sulked, crossing my arms and refusing to look at his stupid, sexy face. When he laughed, he was impossible to stay mad at. He was like a puppy begging for food. If you looked into the eyes for too long, he'd bend you to his will.

"I'm truly sorry, Love. As for my, 'situation', don't worry about it. I am more concerned with making sure you are comfortable and happy." He told me sincerely, and I caved. I smiled at him, before ducking my head to kiss him on his cheek. He looked stunned at first, but recovered quickly.

"Now, what did that Serpent asshole say to you?"