Sigil had a tendency to bring out the demon in him.
Valen stood at the window of their chamber, watching the streets below with his arms crossed over his chest, his tail resting against his leg. It was a tall, narrow building set at an intersection of several crossing roads, which made it a good place both for business and observing. If anyone happened to glance up in that direction, the shadows the building's eaves guaranteed only the most supernaturally keen eyes would pick out the fact someone was there. They would have seen a tall tiefling, black horns rising out of a thick mane of red hair and steady blue eyes that took in and assessed everything they saw. Some might have recognized him and some would have passed on not knowing they were laying eyes on a man known in both plane and prime.
The building was formerly a small Sensate emporium, but the succubus who ran it, Sayifa, now simply called it a 'place of indulgence', which could mean any number of things in this city. This simple but comfortable suite of rooms was located at the top where the general customers didn't venture, which gave it both a very nice view from the window and had the added benefit of cutting off the general noise from below.
When he'd expressed a desire to see Sigil again, he'd never expected it would become a regular thing, and to be sure, he had never expected to become a part of the city's politics (such as they were), even if it was a very small part. He had simply wanted to see the city of his birth again. He was not a child anymore, at the mercy of its streets. He was warrior, a survivor of the Blood Wars, and a man who had stood against a duke of the hells and come out victorious. He'd already had a reputation when he'd returned the first time and was happy to back it up to those who thought it was an empty one.
This was a discreet place to settle whenever he got involved in something. Angeline had found it. First, it had been simple business between her and the owner. Angeline could bring herbs and flowers and such back from the planes and often took a list back with her to fill for when they returned. But Sayifa had started to grow genuinely fond of Angeline and it had blossomed into a very unlikely friendship. She was more than happy to give them shelter here, it cost her little and gave her a level of protection she couldn't have had otherwise.
It had surprised him, and he realized it shouldn't have. He'd expected Angeline to balk at spending time in Sigil. Her first few forays into the planes had not been pleasant for her. Plus, Angeline was a druid, and Sigil was hardly a natural place with its ever shifting landscape of real and not real.
When he'd mentioned this, Angeline had replied quite simply that that was its nature.
But between severing her connection with the nature she'd been born into and severing her from her goddess, the bulk of Angeline's powers didn't work in Sigil. She had her fighting skills and her ability to shapeshift, but she couldn't call her magic. It left her vulnerable enough to put him on edge. And it was a very sharp edge to walk. Valen almost never lost control of himself anymore, in battle or outside it. There were times he could hear the call of the Blood Wars, but it no longer compelled him. That rage in him, the lust for battle and blood, was still there, but he had learned to accept and focus it in ways he hadn't been able to before.
With one exception.
Raising a hand to Angeline brought it forward with a vengeance.
Not many people did that now, at least not in this area. She was a wanderer, his Angeline, and before she'd been wiser to Sigil's ways, she had run in to trouble a couple of times. She was better about it now, and the fact Valen had torn the last person to mess with her apart with his bare hands had helped a lot.
He caught sight of her now, trotting up the street, a dark figure weaving her way through the throng with careless grace. Everything in him sharpened, every sense keen. A sweep of the street allowed him to pick up on those who were minding their own business and those who were gazing a little too pointedly at her, thinking she was a Primer and therefore an easy mark. This honing of sense was as familiar to him as his own heartbeat. In his early days, it was the mark of a battle about to start, an instinctive seeking out the enemy, noting things on the battlefield. It was something that had ensured his survival countless times.
No more. Now that sharpness came to him whenever he sensed a threat to what was his. It still ensured his survival. Because he couldn't live without her.
Valen only let out a breath and stepped back from the window when she disappeared into the building. His blood was humming through his veins, his hand closing into a fist.
No, he hadn't lost control in a long time, but that didn't mean that side of him didn't come out from time to time.
He'd learned first to hold it back, let it loose only in battle, learned to use it mindfully for the defense of what he cared about rather than mindless violence and blood shed.
That had been because of the Seer and he would never stop being grateful to her for it. She had saved him, given him a reason to fight and something to stand for. And even if he couldn't quite articulate the struggle that was going on inside his soul, the thought of disappointing her was enough to make him clamp an iron grip over his own emotions.
It had worked well enough right up until the day, deep in the Underdark, when he'd come out of that haze of a particularly bloody battle. He was used to wary looks when he came down from a fight. Even Nathyrra watched him from the corner of her eye with wariness. Even drow soldiers would glance away. He was both a little proud of that and ashamed of that pride. He'd looked around to make sure every enemy was dead and his eyes had met a pair of golden ones for a brief instant.
That had been Angeline, saturated in almost as much blood as he was. Her eyes were cat like from shapeshifting and gleaming with an intensity that had nothing to do with fear or wariness. Something about the sight of her, wild and bloody, and that moment their eyes had locked had sent a jolt through him the likes of which he'd never felt before. A stab of pure, savage lust that had stabbed through every fiber of him.
That had been Angeline at the beginning of the long, painful road that would lead to him finally understanding he didn't have to kill or suppress one side of him in order for the other to thrive. That had been Angeline, accepting every aspect of him and teaching him how to accept both sides of his soul.
The Seer was the reason he'd gained control over the demon in him, but Angeline was the reason he didn't fear it anymore.
Angeline.
Valen opened his eyes and didn't need to look into a mirror to know they'd gone from blue to red. He turned toward the door even before it opened, sensing her.
He had never fully gotten used to what the sight of her could do to him and he had no desire to ever get used to it. She was a tall, slim woman with skin that was a soft charcoal shade, courtesy of her drow father. The hair bound in a tight tail had come from her mother, though; not white or silver, but jet black curls that fell almost to her waist when unbound.
Angeline paused in the doorway as she took in the sight of him. He could see her breath catch, her tongue flicking out to wet her lips. She didn't speak as she turned and closed the door slowly. She didn't need to. This was a game they'd played many times before and would play many times again.
She kept her eyes on his as she walked toward him slowly, narrowed slightly with speculation and a hint of challenge, her movements becoming languid.
Valen held out a hand toward her. "Come here." The command was quiet but the rough edge to his voice showed the hint of violence beneath it.
Angeline smirked at him but didn't obey, undoing the tie in her hair so it fell around her face and down her back. He growled softly at the sight and she laughed, shifting her hips as if she were going to dart away.
He went for her then, moving forward in one fluid movement and yanking her against him. His free hand tangled into her hair, holding her head still as he claimed her mouth, his tail twining around her leg. She fisted her hands into the front of his shirt and kissed him back, nipping at his lips.
She was goading him and they both knew it. Angeline could be aggressive enough to put a succubus to shame. She could twine that long, slim body around him, snake like, devouring him with her mouth and hands until he was half mad with wanting her. He loved it. He also knew, both from what she'd mentioned offhand and what he'd picked up on, that lovers in the past had not.
More fool they. If they didn't have the balls to meet that wild challenge in her eyes, they didn't deserve to know the sheer pleasure of teasing her into submitting. And she would this time. The demon in him wanted to play. In the end he'd have her submitting to every whim and begging for more. His desire was heightened by the fact he was the only one, by her own admission, that could make her want it.
That knowledge raced between them in the space of a heartbeat. Angeline growled against his mouth, biting at his lower lip, pushing at him lightly as if to back him to the bed.
Valen dragged her head back and held her still, studying her with glowing red eyes, his expression almost remote. When she squirmed a bit in his hold, he smiled slowly and tore the front of her dress open in one quick, violent movement. Angeline gasped and he untangled his hand from her hair to peel the dress off her, tossing it aside. She wore nothing beneath it, which wasn't unusual for her, but it had him raising his eyebrows. "I wonder how many watched you today and wondered what you looked like beneath that dress."
She blinked at him in confusion before she glanced down at herself and realization crossed her features. She tossed her head and gave him another smirk. "There were quite a few devils out today…"
Oh, she knew that would get to him. The Blood Wars might not have a hold on him anymore, but cold toleration was about all he could manage toward devils. The thought of one of them trying to touch her had him snarling possessively and backing her hard against the wall. He snatched hold of her wrists when she tried to reach for him and pinned them above her head, glaring into her eyes from inches away. She gave a token struggle but she couldn't have broken his grip even if she had really wanted to.
He kissed her again, eating at her mouth until he could taste blood and she was whimpering his name. He lifted his head, licking it from his lips and watched her, taking in her swollen lips and dazed expression with satisfaction. He nuzzled her ear softly. "You should know better than to say something like that." He traced his tongue along the long, sensitive point of her ear. "What am I going to do with you?"
"Valen…" Her voice was hoarse.
He nipped her ear lightly and felt her jerk in his hold. "Don't bother begging yet, my angel. It won't do you any good."
"Oh, goddess…" Her voice trailed off into a low moan when he moved along her jaw and down the slender column of her throat. When he passed over the spot where her pulse was beating fast and strong, he let his teeth graze over the skin just hard enough to leave a faint mark.
He lingered there for a moment, savoring the sound of her breath and the way she was trembling, then bent his head and bit her shoulder, stopping just short of drawing blood. That brought a cry from her throat, her hips straining against his in slow circles in attempt to ease the ache of desire. He pinned her hips with his, refusing to allow it, licking the spot where he'd bitten her. "I don't think I've ever figured out which you like more: biting…or being bitten."
"Do it again."
Valen growled softly and released her hands only long enough to spin her around, grabbing her wrists again, pinning them against her sides as he pressed her against the wall. "You're not making any demands tonight, Angeline."
"Valen…"
His tail traced a path up her leg slowly. He bit her shoulder again, but not hard. "You'll do what I want. Everything I want." He smiled. Her hair had fallen over one shoulder, leaving her back partly exposed. He placed a line of nipping kisses down her spine.
"Valen…" She was shaking so badly by then that he was pretty sure he was the only thing holding her up.
He rubbed against her slowly. He was still fully dressed and the feel of her bare skin through the cloth aroused him to the point it was painful. He released one of her hands to undo the fastenings of his pants. Angeline brought her arm up, bracing herself against the wall and rubbing back against him. He chuckled and pinned both her hands high on the wall again. "You can beg now."
She shuddered, her back arching. He slid his hands down her sides, gripping her hips, angling her and shifting until the tip of his cock was just barely penetrating her. Angeline tried to press him in deeper and made a low, frustrated sound when he tightened his hold in warning, holding her still. "Please…"
"That's a sweet sound." He slipped in a little more and was rewarded with a soft cry. He fought the overwhelming urge to drive into her. "Do it again."
"Please…I need you…please, Valen…"
He purred her name and slid into her. She was so wet he barely needed to move until he was sheathed to the hilt. He leaned forward, burying his face against her neck, his hips starting to move in a hard, pounding rhythm.
Angeline moved with him, matching him thrust for thrust. "Yes…Oh, gods, yes…"
He nuzzled her ear, feeling lightheaded with pleasure. Hard or soft, she took everything he gave her and gave it back. He wrapped his arms around her, his hands sliding up to tease her breasts, his tail wrapping around one of her legs.
He knew the rhythm of her body perfectly. When he felt her starting to tense up, he forced himself to go slower for a moment, holding her on the edge before driving into her hard. "Now, my love."
She obeyed helplessly, screaming his name as her body shook with the force of her climax and dragged him over the edge with her. He eased them both to the floor, letting his forehead rest against her back, breathing hard, his blood still churning even as his body relaxed. He listened to her harsh breathing for a bit before speaking, his voice amused. "There's no devil that could satisfy you."
"No…" she murmured.
He drew back from her, making her shudder as he pulled out. "I'm not finished with you yet."
She pushed herself to her knees and turned toward him with some difficulty. She was still shaky, he was pleased to notice. When he rose to his feet and stripped off his clothes, she watched silently, her eyes tracing over him. He had a warrior's body, all lean muscle and sinew, and scars both inside and out.
And she knew all of them, both inside and out.
He reached a hand down to help her up, fully meaning to draw her to him again. But the moment she was on her feet, she sprang away, her step surprisingly steady. She stopped out of reach and swept her hair out of her eyes, grinning at him playfully.
Valen circled around to flank her. "Clever, but you didn't strategize very well. You don't have much room to maneuver. And nowhere to go."
She glanced over her shoulder and just barely managed to dodge as he snatched at her. She suddenly aimed for the bed, probably intending to jump over it, but the move brought her too close to him. He caught her around the waist and threw her onto it instead. "Now why would you want to run from me, hmm?"
Angeline rolled onto her back. "Because you wanted me to."
It was true. Their little chase, that moment of defiance, had brought his arousal back full force.
Ah, gods, he loved her.
"Your eyes are blue again," she murmured.
He looked down at her and his expression made her breathing speed up again. "That doesn't mean you're going to get away with misbehaving," he said. He settled on top of her before she could respond, sliding a hand between her legs, teasing her with his fingers. She was still oversensitive and twisted her hips away on instinct. He rose to his knees and dragged her with him, wrapping his arms around her, capturing her mouth with his. He used his tail to replace her fingers and Angeline bucked against him. "Valen…Valen, I can't…"
"You will." He drew her up higher, kissing his way softly down her neck.
She moaned, her head falling back. "Goddess, you're killing me. Why?"
"Because you want me to."
She laughed, submitting to his touch because he was right. "I love you, Valen."
His hold on her tightened for a moment before he laid her back down, dragging her legs apart and entering her in one smooth movement. "Say it again."
"I love you." Her body rose like a wave. "Valen, I love you so much."
"My angel. Only mine, every inch of you," he whispered, starting to move in her slowly.
"Every inch."
He kept the pace torturously slow this time, his fingers teasing her, his mouth moving from one breast to the other, closing around one nipple and laving it with his tongue before moving to the other. He made her say it over and over- that she loved him, that she was his –first murmuring, then chanting, her voice finally dissolving into wordless cries as he drove her to climax again and again. When he couldn't hold back anymore, he dragged one of her legs around his waist, thrusting into her one last time and emptying himself inside her with a low growl.
Finally sated, Valen let her down and gathered her into his arms, resting his cheek against her hair as her breathing evened out and she stopped trembling. "Wanting this would have frightened me once. Do you remember that battle outside the Seer's camp? Not the big one, the one where we caught the spies trying to draw the Seer out?"
"Yes."
"That's the first time I remember wanting you. The first time I remember wanting anyone that badly."
"I wanted you almost from the first time I saw you."
He kissed her. "I saw you watching me with that look in your eyes. I had images of just throwing you down right there and then and taking you in the middle of the battlefield. Because I knew even then you would have welcomed it."
"I would have loved it."
"I know. That's what scared me. You were everything I thought I shouldn't want. Savagery, bloodlust, you embraced that in yourself in a way I didn't think I ever could." And it had driven him away from her for a time, frightened she was going to push him into losing all he'd fought for. He felt her stiffen a bit at the memory and he stroked her hair. "Everything I shouldn't want, but I did. You pushed me, broke through every barrier I'd put up, stirred up so many different emotions I'd never had before. You saw everything in me, even things I wasn't ready to face myself. I thought I was a monster striving to be a man and there you were. Not afraid, not even fazed, listening to everything I said and taking it in stride."
"You were, are, and always will be the most extraordinary man I've ever met, Valen."
"And I know now what I couldn't realize then." He tipped her chin up so he could gaze into her eyes. "You are everything. Everything I could ever want. Everything I could ever need. Just you, my lady."