Soul of a Witch (Souls Trilogy)

At first, as Callum led me naked through the caverns, I was overwhelmed with self-consciousness. But the demons we passed didn’t care. Not one of them even gave me a second glance, at least not until they sniffed the air and got a whiff of my magic.

Then they stared.

“There’s always a jeweler around somewhere,” Callum said, as we entered another large cavern. Hot springs were scattered around the space, and there was a bar situated on a wide ledge where drinks were served by the tallest demon I’d ever seen. A few others lounged in hammocks hung around the cavern, and it was one of these beings Callum approached.

If he didn’t care about being naked, I was determined not to either. Easier said than done when the demon sprawled in the hammock before us opened her eyes, giving us both a long look up and down.

Then she smirked.

“Well, well, if it isn’t our runaway prince. How damn long has it been, Cal?”

“A few centuries, at least,” Callum said, clasping the demon’s hand with familiar comradery. She didn’t bother to rise from her hammock. She wore a sheer skirt and nothing else, split at the hips so her long legs could sprawl freely. Richly colored, elaborate tattoos covered her; the colors shifted and moved as she did.

“Should’ve figured you’d return with a bang,” she said, looking me up and down again as I tried desperately to keep myself from blushing. “Bringing a living witch straight into Hell, eh? Cheeky of you.” She gave me a sharp-toothed smile. “Pardon me for not shaking your hand, love, but I can’t risk my sigil ending up earthside. Haven’t had the best experiences with witches.”

There was no judgment in her voice as she spoke to me, nor any dislike in her eyes. Although my first instinct was to blurt out that I wasn’t a threat to her, I settled with, “I understand. My name is Everly. It’s a pleasure.”

“Oh, the pleasure is mine,” she said, readjusting herself so that her legs were spread very wide. “Call me Niamh. Lovely soul-binding marks you have.” She sat up, narrowing her eyes as she took a closer look at the scars on my stomach. Side-eying Callum, she said, “I’ve never known this soldier to have a very delicate hand; practically ripped his old claims to shreds. Aren’t you a special one?”

Callum sighed heavily, fingers snapping repeatedly behind his back. “Niamh, please. That was a long time ago.”

“You’ve still clung to other annoying habits,” she teased, and his fingers began snapping a bit harder. “Fuck, that sets my nerves on edge. Hurry it up then, you didn’t seek me out without purpose.” She gave a lazy groan and closed her eyes again. “Tell me what you need so I can go get another drink.”

“I’ll bring you two drinks, if you’ll allow my witch to pick a bit of metal from your collection,” Callum said. Without opening her eyes, Niamh raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“Metal, eh? Last I heard, Callum doesn’t wear metal anymore.”

“Again. That was long ago.”

She stared at him for a moment. Something changed in her face and she sat up, leaning against the rope holding her hammock aloft as she swung her legs. “I’ll have a firewater and figberry wine. Extra fiery!” She shouted the last part, craning her neck to look back at the bartender and make sure they heard her.

Callum rolled his eyes and leaned down to kiss my head before he left. “Pick out whatever you’d like. Just consider location when choosing.”

With my head buzzing, I barely managed an overwhelmed smile before he left for the bar. Niamh reached beneath her hammock, seizing a bag made of dyed red leather and holding it out to me.

“They’re not organized, so you’ll have to search through,” she said, before adding proudly, “Made ’em all myself. There’s some real special ones in there, rare gems from the wastes. Wasn’t easy to get them. There’s even some dragon glass in there.”

Opening the bag, I was instantly aghast. Numerous pieces of jewelry were within — studs, rings, barbells — all of them glittering in the light. Some were silver, some gold or black. Jewels of every cut and color adorned them.

“Did you say dragon glass?” I finally managed to sputter.

Niamh laughed. “Never seen a dragon before? I suppose they don’t have them on Earth anymore, do they?” When I shook my head in absolute bewilderment, she shrugged. “It’s pretty. Like milky glass with shards of charcoal inside.”

As if my fingers were called to them, I swiftly found several pieces set with the gems she spoke of. There was a variety of sizes and shapes, some thick and heavy, while others were tiny and delicate.

“Where are you going to pierce him, hm?” Niamh said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. “He’s got an awful lot of them already. Not much of him left untouched.”

“I’m not sure actually.” The fact that I was about to give a piercing with my own hands was more than enough to occupy my brain, let alone choosing where to put it. I didn’t know much about body modifications, the extent of my experience being my two sets of piercings in each ear. But Niamh’s clearly suggestive tone gave me an idea.

“Niamh, is it possible to pierce the…uhm…penis?”

She immediately burst out laughing, rocking herself so hard she almost fell out of her hammock. When she finally calmed down, she said, “Aw, such an innocent little witch, aren’t you? Adorable. I never would have expected it, but…I suppose that old soldier deserves a little softness.”

She pointed out the jewelry that would work for such a piercing, even giving me a quick but thorough explanation for how I’d do it. “It’s nearly impossible for you to hurt him, love, trust me. Just take your time and he’ll heal perfectly fine. But what about you, eh? What’s he giving you?”

“Giving…me?” I said, still trying to memorize the instructions she’d just disclosed.

“Yeah, piercings are usually a reciprocal thing.”

That opened my mind to an entirely new path of possibilities as I rummaged through the jewelry. Callum returned to us right as I made my selections, handing off the beverages to Niamh before wrapping his arms around me.

“Clingy, isn’t he?” Niamh said, before taking a long gulp of a clear, icy beverage sprinkled with little red petals. “Fuck, that’s good. Properly fiery, Ro!” She lifted the glass in a toast toward the bartender before flopping back in her hammock and closing her eyes again. “Enjoy your new toy, Everly.”

“New toy?” Callum said, eyes darting between us with instant suspicion.

“Never mind,” I said, taking his hand. The jewelry I’d selected was hidden within my opposite palm, and I was eager for him to see it. But not here. “Let’s go back.”

He let me lead the way back to the cavern, winding through the glistening caves until we’d reached our private pool again. There were little alcoves carved into the smooth rock around the cavern, and Callum lounged on one of them, his toes dangling into the water.

For a moment, I stood still and admired him. How he sprawled himself across the damp stone, his naked body glistening with water, droplets clinging to the tips of his wings. His thick cock rested against his thigh, and I imagined the ridged head pierced with the jewelry I’d selected.

The thought made a smile spread over my face, and Callum immediately braced himself with anticipation.

“You know I love that smile, darling,” he said. “Like you’ve thought of something naughty.”

“I’ve thought of something very naughty,” I said, approaching him slowly. Holding up the needle in a glass vial Niamh had given me, I continued, “In fact, I thought of something absolutely wicked.”

“Don’t keep me in anticipation,” he said, shifting restlessly as I stood over him. Sitting on the stone between his sprawled legs, I showed him the jewelry I’d selected: a curved barbell of black metal, set with dragon glass. The gem was truly stunning, just as Niamh described it.

Callum somehow recognized what it was immediately. “Dragon glass? How did she ever —” He smirked, shaking his head. “Niamh is going to get herself in trouble collecting things like that. Dragons don’t take kindly to intruders. Or to anyone, for that matter.”

Glaring at him and pouting my lip, I said, “I can’t believe you never told me dragons are real.”

“Terribly sorry.” He folded his arms behind his head, not looking sorry at all. “I suppose you’ll have to punish me then.”

“Brat.” I smacked his thigh, and he caught my wrists and yanked me closer for a kiss.

“Where are you marking me?” he said.

Pressing my hand against his chest, I shoved him back against the rock and said, “I decided to mark you where we’re most intimately connected. Your cock.”

He blinked rapidly, looking surprised for a moment. The aforementioned body part twitched, swelling as if the thought of something being pierced through it was actually appealing.

“Fuck, I love you,” he breathed out. “Do you want me to guide you through it?”

“Niamh told me what to do,” I said and situated myself a bit more comfortably. “But, yes, please do. Just so I don’t mess it up.”

“You won’t,” he said confidently.

“I don’t suppose there are any sterile gloves for me to wear?” I said, only half-joking. I didn’t know much about piercings, but I knew enough about bacteria to cringe at the thought of doing this with my bare hands.

“There aren’t, but I assure you, I’ll be fine,” he said. “Even if I were susceptible to infections, I would be extremely unlikely to catch one here.”

As I removed the needle from its vial, his cock throbbed again, visibly thickening.

“How am I supposed to pierce you if you’re hard?” I scolded. He was grinning like a cat with a canary in its mouth.

“Maybe you’ll have to be rough,” he said. “Or, you may have to force me to — Ahh, shit.”

Grasping his balls in my hand, I gave them enough of a squeeze that he bared his teeth. He snapped them as his arms flexed, his body coiling as his muscles went rigid.

“You’re fucking cruel, my lady. Absolutely goddamn merciless,” he growled, gritting his teeth as I sweetly smiled.

“It’s for your own good,” I said. It certainly didn’t calm his erection as much as it should have, but it did soften him slightly. The moment I took his length in my hand, it twitched again, no less eager to rise to the occasion than before.

With a heavy, mockingly exasperated sigh, I said, “I suppose I’ll have to be rough with you then.”

He groaned, hips thrusting sporadically into my hand. Smacking his thigh again, I told him to keep still as I carefully lined up where to push the needle through. Needles didn’t frighten me, but the thought of shoving this one through such a sensitive spot made me slightly queasy.

But Callum was desperate for it. He was so tense he was shaking, his entire body locked with unbearable excitement.

As I lined up the needle, I lifted my gaze to meet his eyes. “Are you sure, Callum?”

“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life, Everly.”

The needle went in, but it wasn’t pain that contorted his face. It was pure bliss, melting over him as his eyes fluttered closed and his chest expanded with a massive breath. My hands were shaking as I fit the jewelry, a little blood marring the wound. But he didn’t bleed for long, and opened his eyes to stare as I secured the jewelry in place.

“God, Callum, really?” I laughed as he throbbed in my hand again, having gone from semi-soft to rigidly hard in a matter of seconds.

“How can I help it with your hands all over me?”

Lowering my head, I kissed the tip of his cock, lingering with my lips against him for just a moment. “It looks so sexy on you,” I said, and his eyes blazed with a fire that threatened to consume me. “I can’t wait to feel it inside me.”

He moved rapidly, faster than my eyes could see. One moment, he was lounging against the stone, devouring me with his eyes — the next moment, he’d seized me, taken me into the water, and held me tight as he claimed my mouth with his.

“If it were up to me, we would never leave this place.” He left the words in kisses across my skin, trailing up my neck. “I would keep you here forever. A treasure all to myself. My holy, captive goddess. I would let humanity die, I would watch the world burn, if only to keep you safe. If only to shelter you. Guard you. But who am I to stand in your way?” The words were so full of pain my heart nearly broke. “Who am I to stifle your power? I am your eternal servant. I would deny you nothing. Not even danger. Not even…”

“Not even death,” I whispered. My hands clasped his face, tracing the contours of his ears and the hard line of his jaw before I kissed him. For a moment, I had no idea how our mouths could part. I needed him to breathe, to live.

And for a moment, just the briefest moment, I wanted to beg him to do it. Keep me here forever. Hold me captive, give me no choice but to hide myself away and never return to the human world again. We could stay here, where it was safe, sheltered within our own little world.

But for how long would this world remain our own? If a God rose to power, what was to stop It from pursuing more and more? One world would never be enough. When the balance of our entire dimension was at risk, there was nowhere we could hide.

We could only face It. We could only fight.

It ached to pull away from him, even a little, but I forced myself to do it so I could look into those black eyes. The void stared back, and it was full of longing, full of love. But there was fear too, lurking in the depths of that endless abyss. Fear that wanted to drag me in and drown me, if only it meant he could keep me.

I wanted to let him. I wanted to drown in his darkness forever.

But I couldn’t. God, I couldn’t.

“Mark me,” I said. He searched my eyes, lips parted slightly in disbelief. “I mean it. I want you to. I want to wear your metal, just like you’re wearing mine.”

His fingers traced over my stomach, over the scars he’d carved there. In blood and pain, we’d been bound together; in necessity, in fear. But I wanted a mark from him given purely in love, in devotion, in joy.

“Where do you want it?”

My stomach flipped over, tangled up like a writhing snake. I had no doubt of what I wanted. Drawing myself closer to him again, I spread my legs around his hips, straddling him in the water.

“Exactly where I marked you,” I said. The smile that spread over his face was delightfully sadistic, giddy with disbelief.

“You honor me.” I was stunned to see him duck his head, a small bow before he kissed me. It was addictive to have his hands on me; I never wanted it to end. “You’ll heal swiftly, especially in Hell. But it will hurt.”

He smiled when I presented him with the jewelry I’d already selected. It matched his, although it was slightly smaller, designed to sit snuggly through the hood of my clitoris. He retrieved a pillow, woven of soft fibers, and placed it under my head as I lay beside the pool, suddenly nervous now that he was between my legs with a needle.

But it was the best kind of nerves. The kind that roiled through my stomach, shuddered in my chest, made my hands shake and my head buzz.

“Nervous?”

I quickly nodded. I was turned on, I was intrigued, I was shivering with anticipation – and yes, I was absolutely terrified.

“I know you can take it for me.”

Closing my eyes, I slowly exhaled. His words took me back to that night he saved my life and claimed my soul; how it had torn him apart to do it, how he’d broken his own heart to protect me.

We’d come so far since then, it felt like an eternity.

His fingers spread me open, and he moaned softly in admiration. “You’re so fucking gorgeous, Everly. If there was anything I could ever worship, it would be you.”

He lowered his head, and I practically levitated off the stone as he closed his mouth over me. Keeping me spread apart with his fingers, he sucked my clit while flicking the bud with his tongue, causing my legs to twitch with every caress.

“Be brave for me now, darling. Take a deep breath…”

Inhaling didn’t stop my whimper as the needle slid in. The sting was sudden and sharp, but dissipated far more quickly than I expected.

“There’s my good girl.” He fit the jewelry in, and I winced at the discomfort, but couldn’t deny the swell of heat in my abdomen. Every little touch of his fingers was a tease, egging me on.

“Jewels fit for a goddess,” he said, admiring me before he lowered his head again, kissing my thighs. “You’ll be tender for a little while. But your magic is bolstered by this place; you’ll heal quickly.”

He lifted me from the rock, holding me as we sunk back into the pool. As my bones turned to jelly, and I lay limp against him, my demon said, “I’d like to see how hard you’ll come with that pretty jewel pierced through you. Glittering like a treasure…”

“You should find out.” I wrapped my legs around his hips, his hard cock nudging against my entrance.

But he grasped my hips, hard, preventing me from impaling myself on him.

With a sardonic smile, he said, “You’re too tender for it.” I made a soft sound when his finger brushed lightly over my new jewelry. “You’ll have to be patient and wait.”

“No.” I pouted, rolling my hips against him in a way that was undeniably demanding, as I slid my fingers around his throat. “I don’t want to be patient. I. Want. You.”

Before I could get out another word, he grabbed my face, squeezing my jaw. He pressed me against the side of the pool, grinning hungrily.

“You want it that badly?” His voice was dangerously low. “Prove it. Beg for it.”

My breath stuttered. “Please…”

His fingers tightened, digging in until I whimpered. “Beg. Show me how desperately you want it, darling. Convince me.”

He let me go and sat on the edge of the pool with his legs spread, leaning back on his palms. Water streaked down his tattooed chest. His cock jutted up, monstrously thick and glistening with his new jewelry.

Positioning myself between his legs, I looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. “Please, Callum.” I stroked my fingers along his thighs, lowering myself until my mouth was only inches away from his shaft. “Please fuck me.” I brushed my lips over him, flicking my tongue at the sparkling gem pierced through his head. “Treat me like your whore.”

His breath caught, and he held it. I smiled.

“I know you want to.” I traced my tongue from the base of his thick cock, up his shaft, caressing his balls in my hand. They were soft as velvet, and tightened as I closed my lips over his tip, swirling my tongue around him.

“Tempting little succubus, aren’t you?” he said, still holding his breath. Struggling to control himself.

Popping my mouth off his cock, I sucked my finger instead, making it slick.

“If you’re worried about hurting my piercing, I have another hole to fuck.” I stroked my finger over his taint, pressing lightly. He leaned back, holding himself up on his elbows so he could watch me. “I want you to fuck my ass.” I pressed my finger inside him, and his lips parted with a soft sound. “I want you to stretch me open with that big, thick cock and fill me with your cum.”

Lowering my head, I stroked my tongue around where my finger was buried in him, probing at the tight ring of muscle. He growled, and his hand snaked around the nape of my neck to tightly grip my hair. He held my head there as I licked, probing my finger in and out. His wings were splayed out, twitching every time I pressed my finger in past the knuckle.

“I’d destroy you, darling,” he said, his voice so dark that I shivered. “Is that really what you want? To get your ass ripped open by this cock?”

Unable to raise my head, I made an affirmative noise. He smiled ravenously, arching his back to force my finger deeper inside.

“I’m not sure I believe you,” he said. I begged, but my words were muffled as I pleasured him with my tongue. “Mm, that’s it. Are you going to be a good whore for me? I’m going to take my time, stretch you open slowly. I’ll make that tight, perfect ass mine.”

He dragged me backwards by my hair, slipping into the water and then shoving me toward the side of the pool. My knees came to rest on the low shelf along the edge, and he pushed my head forward so I was bent over the lip of the pool. His claws pricked into me as he curled over my back, possessively stroking his tongue along my spine until he could bite down on my shoulder.

“I get to claim your virginity yet again.”

His long tongue caressed over my puckered hole before he spat, his finger swirling the saliva over me.

“So tight,” he said, barely pressing inside. Groaning, I focused on keeping my muscles relaxed as he entered me. He worked his fingers, pumping them, stretching me open.

“It’s going to feel even better with my cock inside you.” He thrust his fingers in and out, saliva dripping from his tongue to keep me slick. “Let your magic help you. You’re going to need it.”

He added a third finger, taunting me gently as I whimpered and squirmed. He continued like that for several minutes, stretching me open, praising me as I relaxed for him.

“That’s my pretty little whore. So tight for me. Take it nice and deep…”

His fingers withdrew, and I caught my breath as the head of his cock pressed against me instead. Glancing back, with my cheek still flat against the stone, I watched him stroke himself as he admired me. One hand gripped my ass, holding me open as he pleasured himself.

The sight of that pearlescent gem at the end of his cock made me shiver with anticipation. He met my eyes and spat on his length.

“I’m going to ruin you,” he said. “There’s no return from damnation.”

“Why would I want to return?” I said, and my voice broke as he pressed inside me. I saw stars, the ache so sudden and sharp. “Fuck, wait — wait —”

He paused immediately, tracing his claws up and down my spine in a mesmerizing way.

“Breathe deeply for me,” he said. “Let your magic fill your muscles and relax you.”

It wasn’t easy to do as he said. My thoughts were all over the place, buzzing like bees disturbed from their nest. But with every deep breath, the tension eased from my muscles. Callum was stroking himself with his head inside me, perfectly content to take his time. As I relaxed, I gyrated my hips, nudging myself back and pressing him deeper inside.

“That’s it. You just can’t resist, can you?” Callum praised me as I moved, one hand still rubbing soothingly over my back. “Such a good girl for me. How does that feel?”

“So…so good, Callum.” I felt drunk and giddy. It didn’t hurt as he entered me even deeper, but the stretch was mind-blowing. “Holy shit, you’re so big.”

“Or perhaps you are merely so very small,” he said, arching over my back like a predator and driving all the way inside. I cried out — overwhelmed, stunned at how incredibly full I felt. If it weren’t for the magic tingling in every nerve, I had no doubt the size of him would have injured me. But instead, I lay limp and trembling, rocking myself against him with lazy movements.

Too lazy for his taste.

He pulled me up and wrapped his arm around my neck, holding me pinned tightly against his body as he thrust into me. The groan he forced out of me was obscene, my body shaking as he slammed into me. My clit was so swollen it ached, but even that wound didn’t feel as tender as it should have.

“Your body is a work of art,” he murmured. “I should hang you on display and never let you go.”

Never let you go. Every time he said those words, my heart swelled. Combined with the overwhelming sensation of him inside me, using me for his pleasure, my eyes rolled back.

“That’s gonna make me come, Callum,” I gasped. He snarled, hips slapping sharply against my wet skin.

“Fuck, you’re glorious. Should be a sin — a fucking sin to feel so good, to look so irresistibly perfect. Every inch of you…” His hands trailed over me, grasping and possessive. My head fell back against his shoulder, my body beyond my control. “Mine. My witch, my goddess, my whore. In sickness and in health, in life and beyond death. Always and forever.”

My bliss exploded into ecstasy. All I could do was breathe, swaddled in the tight grip of his arms, ravaged by the intensity of his body. His movements grew more urgent, messier, rougher — until he came inside me with a snarl, wet skin pressed tight to mine, his words still trailing in my ear, “I’ll love you endlessly, darling.”