-Another demonic story! But this is about Teresa and Aris, cuz they're growing on me. And it's just a lil moment, not a big story. But I hope you like it! Rated M for a reason. Not sure why I felt the need to warn you. Maybe cuz I only ever write Minewt or guys. :/ I try, people.
Anyway, enjoy, and give me some much-appreciated feedback :)-
-Unfaithful-
"Dammit, Teresa, how could you have been so stupid? You're better than this!"
Normally, Aris would never dare to speak to his mate in such a way. It was rude and intended to hurt her feelings, and he cared for Teresa too much to ever say a bad thing to her. He always treated her perfectly, gave her luxurious gifts, and obeyed every word she spoke. But tonight. Tonight was an entirely different story.
Tonight, he was walking away from a wild demonic party thrown in a ravaged church. Teresa was in his arms, cradled carefully, and with her head lolling about groggily. She'd gotten herself drunk on some newly-created underworld concoction and couldn't walk upright. Aris had been annoyed when she never answered his calls, angry when he showed up at this obscene party, and furious when he caught her drunkenly flirting with some demon scum. He'd nearly burnt the entire place to the ground in his rage.
"I'm not stupid," Teresa slurred, raising her head up with a jerk. A strand of raven hair flopped across her eye. "Jus' a little drunk, tha's all."
"You are not 'just a little drunk,'" Aris argued vehemently.
"Was too..."
"Teresa, you were allowing another demon to—" He broke off with a flush creeping up his face, before he bit the words out. "To touch you!"
Her nose wrinkled as she raked her foggy mind. "No I wasn't."
"Teresa," he groaned, tilting his head back in frustration. He wasn't going to be able to get through to her in this state. Sighing heavily, he paused some yards away from the raucous cacophony of the church and called on a surge of his demonic power. In a flash of blinding white, the couple disappeared.
When they flickered into existence again, they were standing in the charcoal-floored front hall of their shared mansion. The walls contrasted with their ivory glow, emphasized by the unusual, curving lamps placed at random places across them. Candles burned away inside, sending Aris's shadow across the floor as he carried Teresa past the open kitchen and into the living room. Settling her down onto the large leather couch, he glared down at her in stern scrutiny.
It was one thing for Teresa to go to a party without him; it was quite another thing for her to go dressed like this: too-tight leather pants and a matching tube top, with crisscrossing laces tying it together at the front. His heart hurt. Did she look sexy? Yes, of course she did. But she should've been wanting to look this good for him, not for some demon she wanted to get drunk with.
Mates were never supposed to be unfaithful.
You don't know if she was trying to be unfaithful, he told himself, it could've been a mistake. "I'm going to get you some medicine," he said aloud, keeping all emotion from his voice. "Then, we're getting you out of those clothes and into bed so you can sleep this off."
Teresa pouted, throwing an arm up onto the cushions above her head. "But, Aris, don' you wanna stay with me for a little while?" Giggling, she reached up and tugged at the belt loop of his jeans.
Swallowing down his disappointment in her, Aris forced himself to step back. Her hand dropped. "No." Without giving her time to protest, he strode from the room.
The trip down a side hall to their bedroom was just as bad as the trip from the church. All the while, the images of how he'd found her there ran over and over again in Aris's mind. She'd been perched in one of the old church pews, a cup of whatever that foul drink was in her hand and a brunette demon at her side. He'd been so close to her, his breath stirred her hair and his fingers were playing with the laces of her top. Aris's fists clenched at the memory. He'd seen that demon playing with his mate, seen him whisper in her ear like they were the only two in the world. He'd stopped watching when the brunette ran a talon from Teresa's collarbone the whole way down to her stomach.
Then Aris had thrown him through a wall.
The other partygoers weren't very happy with that. But Aris had marched out of there with Teresa and he didn't intend to let her go to anything like that again. Sure, demons liked some dark fun sometimes. But never when it involved letting another demon touch them, besides their mate. Aris was hurt and he had never expected Teresa to hurt him.
Heading into their room, he passed the bed and went straight for the dark dresser at the far wall. He pulled open a drawer with rough motions and searched inside. He chose one of Teresa's nightgowns, a soft midnight-blue one that seemed more modest than some of the others. Then he shut the drawer and made his way back into the living room.
Teresa was sitting up when he returned, finger-combing her hair back off her face. When she noticed him approaching her, she broke into a broad smile. "Aris! Come over here, darling, I haven't seen you all night..." Trailing off suggestively, she crossed a leg over the other and struck a pose on the couch.
Holding up her nightgown in response, Aris sent her a flat look. "That's because you wanted to spend your time somewhere else. You need to sleep, Teresa. We'll talk when you're sober."
"But I'm getting there!" she whined. "And I wanna have some fun in the meantime. So, c'mon, get down here." She pulled at the hem of his black T-shirt.
"Not now, Resa."
"Yes, now, now seems like a great time."
"You don't need this. You need—"
"I need you," she insisted, fixing him with her china-blue eyes. The way she looked at him like that made him glance away with a shiver. "Aristotyll," she purred, "kiss me."
He couldn't, not like this, not when she needed his help in this state. Aris gave a helpless whimper, because his true name wouldn't let him say no.
The next thing he knew, he was bending down, caging her between his arms on the couch and pressing his lips to hers. He could've pulled away after that, but Teresa took the back of his head and trapped him there. It didn't help that she was kissing him back eagerly, claws combing through his dark hair and wonderful noises of bliss escaping her. Her tongue found his, tasting of some wicked substance, and he moaned into her mouth. "Resa, no," he managed between kisses.
"Don't stop," she whispered to him, running a finger to the beginning of an old scar underneath the back of his shirt. Her leg had somehow gotten hooked around his waist and she was licking the gasps from his tongue. In the back of his mind, Aris knew that she shouldn't be doing this with him when she was still drunk. But she tasted so good, and she smelled like snow, and he wanted so badly to prove that she was his, all his and no one else's. But he finally stiffened when she took ahold of his wrist and sighed as she guided his hand to her breast.
He jerked back with a gasp, tearing his hands from her. Teresa's wide, confused eyes gazed up at him, her lips still heated from their kissing. "I didn't want you to stop," she protested matter-of-factly.
"Teresa," he whimpered. "You're drunk. You're not thinking straight and you just had another man all over you at a party. I'm not...I'm not going to touch you like this until you're sober and thinking of me."
Something seemed to have gotten through because she just stared at him.
Aris exhaled roughly and picked up the nightgown he'd dropped on the couch. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "You should get changed and then come to bed. I'll be there soon." Rubbing the back of his neck, he left the room. Instead of heading toward their room again, where there was an adjoined bathroom where he could get ready for bed, he chose another separate one down the hall. As ashamed as he was to admit it, he wanted some space from her.
It wasn't a welcome feeling.
-X-X-X-
After changing into his usual pajamas (consisting of only a pair of boxers), Aris crept out of the bathroom and over to the bedroom door. He didn't think when he started to go inside. Glancing up, he jerked to a stop when he saw Teresa with her back to him—still changing. She was wearing nothing but lacy underwear that sent his mind reeling and a strapless bra. As he stared, dumbstruck, she reached back for the bra's clasp.
"Shit," he hissed, too quiet for her to hear and ducked back into the hall again. Back against the wall, he took a few steadying breaths. Dammit, he was supposed to be mad at her and concerned for her. Look at him now, getting worked up over just the sight of her. "It's not like I can help it," he mumbled to himself. Teresa had always done things to him he didn't understand. He thought she was breathtaking.
He wondered darkly if that brunette demon had thought that too.
Waiting until the shifting of clothing stopped, he snuck back into the doorway. Teresa was dressed in her nightgown now and it whispered around her thighs as she padded to their king-sized bed. She seemed to be sobering up a little. Her movements were slow, almost sad, and she didn't make a sound when she crawled under the silken covers.
Aris wanted to say that she should feel bad for what she'd done and tell her that she'd been foolish.
He wanted to join her in bed and coo soothing words in her ear until she knew he forgave her.
Instead, he walked into the room hardly looking at her, announcing his presence with a, "hey."
"Hey," Teresa echoed quietly. Her eyes followed him across the room.
He felt her watching the flex of muscle beneath his skin as he slipped into bed beside her. Aware that he was shirtless in front of her, he swallowed hard. There were five inches between them. Five inches that kept him from asking for an apology or from pleading with her to tell him why. It shouldn't have been like this. They'd laughed watching movies here and cuddled under covers during cold nights. He'd made love to her, his one and only, in his bed and now he couldn't even touch her.
"I'm so sorry, Aris." Her voice was very soft.
Aris glanced at her and saw that her eyes were a bit clearer. Maybe this stuff wore off faster than most. "I just want to know one thing," he told her seriously. "Did you know what he was doing to you or were you too drunk to tell?"
"I—I was too drunk to stop him," she replied. "But I knew...I knew what was happening."
He scowled at the opposite wall as though it was the other demon. "Did he touch you?" he asked in a growl. "Don't ask what I mean. You know what I mean."
"Um. Maybe? I don't know, it was all so blurry." Reaching toward him, she stopped with her fingers inches from his shoulder. "I didn't want him to do anything to me, Aris. Please believe me."
Aris folded his arms across his chest. "You shouldn't have put yourself in that situation."
"I just wanted to go to a party. I didn't know how strong Waikk would be—"
"Waikk?" he repeated, cutting her off. It was Demon's Tongue for "wicked."
"...that's what it's called," she replied weakly.
"I'll remember that."
"Please, Aris—I'm really sorry."
Still, he wouldn't look at her. "I wish you would've taken me with you," he said stonily. "Then that never would've happened."
"You can't be around me all the time," she told him, her tone gentle and pleading. "I'm a demon; I can take care of myself without you watching over me constantly."
"What if something had happened to you?"
"Nothing did—"
"But what if, Teresa?" It snapped out of him like a whip, his control cracking under the thought of what he'd do if something harmed his precious mate. Blowing out a hard breath, he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Teresa sat without speaking. Then there was the touch of her hand on his shoulder, a comforting gesture. He nearly jumped. "I know that it was stupid to drink as much as I did," she admitted. "But I never would've let another demon touch me if I'd been sober. Please believe me." Her fingertips rubbed soothingly up and down his shoulder, grazing his collarbone. Her voice softened to match the quiet slip of the their skin. "I love you, Aris."
Dammit. Aris could never stay mad at her, not when she said things like that or touched him like this. Letting his shoulders relax, he quieted his voice. "I believe you. It just... I know I'm going to keep seeing that, seeing him trying to steal you." A light laugh came from Teresa at his boyish jealousy and he found a smile curving his lips. "The bastard," he muttered, shaking his head. "You're mine."
"Oh, so now you claim me?" she asked, shifting in bed to lean their shoulders together. Her head rested against the headboard as her half-lidded eyes traveled over him.
"I've always claimed you." Aris swallowed as she slid a lazy hand across his chest. "At times like this, you make me wonder why," he added flatly.
Grinning, she stretched up with sly blue eyes and whispered in his ear, "because you're in love with me." Her fingertip traced down the center of his chest to his toned stomach.
Aris tried unsuccessfully to shy away from her. "Teresa, maybe we shouldn't..." His voice died away when she kissed his ear and then the place just below it, whisper-soft.
"We should," she murmured, before brushing her lips farther down to the side of his throat. Her fingers splayed across his stomach.
"Love, you were just—drunk...and..." His arguments were all crumbling. She was kissing his neck, her hand sneaking down to trace the line of his waistband beneath the covers. She grazed her fingers teasingly low and he gasped. "Teresa," he managed, a moment before he turned his head to connect their mouths, finally.
He felt her smile into it, then kiss back, slow and sensual. There was the slightest taste of smoke to her lips that had to be Waikk. But that didn't stop him from reaching up to cup her jaw, drowning himself in her. He should've known he wouldn't be able to say no for long.
The kiss lasted longer than either of them thought it would, becoming deep and consuming. Aris ran his fingers over her hair, then through it, the strands curled and soft. Tugging gently earned him a whimper and Teresa grabbed for the back of his neck, kissing him fiercely now. Between the gasps and the grazing of fangs, hands wandered. Teresa raked her claws through his hair and down the side of his neck, not quite hard enough to leave marks. Aris couldn't get enough of her. His fingers ran along her collarbone, then dropped down to her waist. Teresa sighed against his lips. Skimming his hand upward, he hooked a finger around the strap of her nightgown to ease it down off her shoulder. When he traced the curve of her breast above the fabric, she broke the kiss with a muffled sound.
They stared at each other, breaths rough, and hair askew. Teresa looked obscenely beautiful with her nightgown off a shoulder and her eyes full of want. It took everything Aris had not to ravish her without a second thought. "We shouldn't," he repeated dumbly.
"I don't care," she stated, and they were kissing again.
But this time, Teresa was moving, crawling over to straddle his lap and Aris's mind started to go blank. There was only so much control he had and it was certainly tested when Teresa rolled her hips down against his. A moan escaped his throat and he spread his fingers across her hips, feeling the curves of them move. Ducking his head, he kissed his way down her throat. Nipping at a place beneath her jaw urged her to tip her head back. Exhaling blissfully, she let her head fall back, eyes closed. Aris mouthed down to her collarbone and ran his teeth along it.
"Aris," she mewled, as his palms slid up her back, caressing her skin. The sound of his name made him lose his mind.
"He'll never touch you again," Aris mumbled into her shoulder. He slipped his hands down her waist and smoothed them up her thighs, bunching the fabric of her nightgown. "Not like me. Not like this."
Teresa shuddered against him as his fingers followed a path up to her hips, under her nightgown. He could feel the lace of her waistband and then the smooth skin on her sides as he slid his palms higher. She moaned when he rubbed circles into her lower back. "Aris, please," she begged.
"Please what?" he asked, pulling at the neckline of her nightgown with his teeth.
"Aris—" The pleas continued when he slid a fingertip up her inner thigh, stopping high enough to tease. The look she gave him then left him smoldering inside. "I want you," she gasped out, grabbing him by the shoulders. Leaning back, she dragged him down with her, scooting back in bed.
Aris didn't protest, but laid her back on the mattress and pinned her beneath him. Bending down with a smirk, he ran his tongue along the curve of her ear and felt fingers digging into his back. She was pleading under him, one leg around his hips and her skin flushed. There was already a pale pink mark blossoming from where he'd kissed her too roughly on her shoulder. He skimmed his lips across it tenderly, a silent apology. One of her hands gripped his hip, a demand.
"Sweetheart, what do you want me to do?" he asked softly.
She nuzzled at his neck, half affectionate, half lustful. "Make love to me," she breathed against his skin.
He'd dreamed of her saying that so many times, but it never came close to when she whispered it to him in reality. Locking their mouths together again, he stroked his fingers up her side. Teresa lifted her hips up, letting her nightgown slip to her waist. Aris broke the kiss and stared down at her, panting. His heart wilted. Nothing had ever been as gorgeous as Teresa, the hem of her clothing wrinkled at her hips and ivory skin glowing in lamplight. "You're so beautiful, darling, I don't deserve you," he murmured and her gaze flicked down at his praise.
"Would you shut up and kiss me already?" she asked, a smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth.
Unable to resist, he grinned back devilishly. "I'll do more than kiss you, Resa."
She leaned up and he hummed as she kissed him, tongue running along his lower lip. When her hips lifted up again, pressing into his to draw out a whine, he couldn't resist. Breaking the kiss, he sat up; Teresa gasped as he ran his hands up her legs and caught the sides of her waistband with his fingers. He watched her as he peeled her underwear down her legs and left them somewhere on the floor. She was biting her lip, her claws knotted in the sheets. Smug because he had made her look like that, he ran his palms back up her thighs again. "Ohh, Aris," she moaned out when he slid one hand between her legs.
Aris licked across her collarbone as he moved his hand against her, biting down on his lip each time she rocked her hips upward. Her pants were growing desperate as he let her grind against him. He loved that he could make her like this, coming unhinged beneath his touch. Part of him achingly wanted this: her gasping breaths in the dimness as he touched her, the sharpened nails of one hand scraping across his shoulder blades. But another part of him needed her in a different way, with no more of these bothersome clothes between them. It was that need that made him slip his hand from her, eliciting a near-cry of disappointment.
"Why did you stop?" Teresa asked breathily, the pleasure still burning in her expression. Oh, how did he not just ruin her right now?
"Because I want all of you," Aris replied, running his nose up one arm and her shoulder. When he breathed in, she smelled of falling snow.
Rolling over onto his back, he took her waist and lifted her to sit on top of him. Legs on either side of his waist, she gazed down at her mate with tangling hair draping across his chest. A dark anticipation was beginning in her eyes. "I hope you know," she began wickedly, "that I plan on making you beg for it. I don't come without a price."
"Name your price then," he teased. He shifted himself under her, knowing their bodies pressed together with him slotted perfectly between her legs. He bit his tongue to hold back his tiny sound, and grinned when she mewled aloud. "Is that enough for you?"
Growling at his cheekiness, she leaned down and snagged his bottom lip in her teeth. She placed her hands on his chest and pulled at his lip until she had to let go. Aris's breath hitched. "We'll see," she said simply. Then she sat up, tossing her hair back in a wave of ebony. Sexy and mischievous, she toyed with the hem of her nightgown. "What would you do if I took this off for you?"
Aris felt a shiver travel from his head to his toes. "Why don't you find out?"
"I don't think so," she replied airily. Her fingers moved lower, dipping into his boxers. "I think I want these off instead."
"I—" His words gave up. She was much too sinful, and oh damn, her hand was moving over him on top of the fabric, and he was groaning brokenly. "Please."
"Whatever you say, darling." Teresa kept her eyes on him as she pulled his boxers down, watching the way he flushed slightly and looked away. Careless, she tossed them away over the side of the bed and ran her hands up his hips.
Aris squirmed under her as she dug a sharpened nail in and ran it down his thigh. There was too much teasing and not enough of her, just her. "Please, Teresa," he pleaded again, chest heaving. "I can't..."
"I can't wait anymore either," she moaned out, his desperation getting to her. Lips parted and hair wild, she straddled his hips again and slowly lowered herself onto him. A harsh exhale left her and her head dropped back in ecstasy.
Aris whined hoarsely when he felt her, his entire being buzzing from her body on his. They'd done this so many times before, over the thousand years they'd been together, and still, she drove him to his limit. At an easy pace, she started to move and he grabbed for her hips at the delicious friction. He could barely watch her, because she looked positively sinful grinding onto him, flushed with pleasure and soft noises escaping her. Aris physically ached with want for her. He rolled his hips up and she mewled.
"Aris," she gasped out, snatching up the hem of her nightgown. Without a second thought, she stripped the clothing up over her head and left it pooling on the floor. She wore nothing else beneath it and she was more gorgeous than Aris could ever remember her being, all soft curves and sketched lines for her arms.
Taking her by the waist, he suddenly flipped them over. An embarrassing whimper tore out of his throat as he started rocking his body into hers. Pressed down into the mattress, Teresa groaned shamelessly under him and brought her legs up around his waist. The angle was perfect and she let out a weak cry of pleasure when he slid into her again. Bending down, Aris kissed at her neck, fangs pricking skin. "I love you," he whispered, their bodies moving together in the dark, hers fitting so perfectly against his.
"I love you, too," she murmured into his ear and the tenderness melted his heart.
Their movements grew more frantic, more desperate. Aris couldn't see straight, he was so addicted to her. He had her shoved up the mattress, one hand hooked around her leg. Every grinding motion brought him closer and closer, until all he could feel was her and all he wanted to feel again was her. Teresa clung to him, breathy sounds leaving her lips. His hand had closed over her breast, palm circling slowly, and she moaned in pleasure. Hearing her was all it took and Aris gasped for air as the ecstasy surged up inside of him. It didn't take long before her beautiful voice was breaking under him too, the two of them at their most vulnerable, but neither caring that the other saw. When the pleasure became too much, Aris couldn't help but cry out, despite her eyes on him. Her claws raked down his back at the sound, sure to leave red welts for at least a day.
When it was over, they collapsed against each other, their pants suddenly seeming loud in the darkness. Catching his breath, Aris stared down at her in reverence, amazed that this demon could reduce him to the mess he was now. His hair was a mess, but it was nothing compared to Teresa's. He coaxed a strand from her eyes, smiling gently. "My love," he murmured, running his fingertip down her cheek. She blushed shyly and laced her fingers behind his neck.
"Maybe I should get drunk more often," she remarked, "if this is my reward."
Shaking his head, he chuckled. "Come here." Looping his arms under her, he lifted her up. Once he'd slid out of bed with her wrapped around him, he carried her to the pillows and laid back with her. The two maneuvered to their own sides of the bed, Teresa giving a noise of disappointment when Aris had slipped out of her. Settled under the blankets, he reached for her and pulled her close. An arm around her waist and her bare skin pressed to his was all he needed right now.
"You've had a long day," he murmured, as Teresa yawned. "Parties, and other demons, and Waikk. And me." Smirking slightly, he kissed the top of her head. "Go to sleep, love. I'll be here when you wake up."
"Okay," she muttered, breaths beginning to slow already.
Aris held her as she slept, and even as sleep overtook him, and kept his promise to be there when she woke up.