Black and Silver

by Gwendolyn Harper

The blush that kissed her cheeks made him ache to deepen it. Hell’s flames, he could already imagine that hue coloring her neck, her chest, her naked breasts—

“Have I already made a mistake?” Ivy asked, pausing in the middle of cutting her piece of lamb. “What?” “You’re staring at me.” Silas shook his head. “No, please,” he said, gesturing to her food. “Go right ahead.” Taking another large pull from his wine, he waited until she’d had three bites before speaking again. “I told you, Ivy,” he purred. “When I’m staring at you, it’s because I’m enjoying what I see.” Her gaze flicked up to meet his. “That’s going to take some getting used to.” “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m an extremely patient man.” She huffed a laugh but didn’t comment.

When he asked about any current hobbies, her voice had very little affect. When he brought up her family, her mouth tightened imperceptibly. And when he brought up her magic… Ivy’s mismatched eyes lit up. Her posture relaxed and her hand—whichever one wasn’t holding her fork or wine glass—gesticulated as she spoke, explaining whatever little tidbit of information he’d been curious about. She came alive when discussing spell work for clients, herbal mixtures she’d perfected over the years or the ones she still needed to tinker with, and the festival days she attended with other Witches. Silas could listen to her talk about her practice for days on end and never get bored.

Ducking, she dropped her gaze to her plate. “Oh Jesus, I’m rambling. Just sucking the air right out of the—” Reaching across the small space between them, he took her hand. “Never apologize for sharing what you love,” he said, drawing her knuckles to his lips. “Especially not with me.” He should have let her go, but he couldn’t help but drag his lips over her skin once more. Without thinking, he turned her hand over, nuzzling into her palm and kissing the softness of her inner wrist. The thundering of her pulse matched his own.

Release her, Silas, he told himself. Don’t push it. It’s been twenty-four hours. Give the girl a chance to acclimate before...

“Silas?” He froze, gaze darting up. Devils, he was sniffing her like some Dracula cosplayer. “I—” Ivy’s fingers twitched in his hand. “You need to feed…” She swallowed thickly. “Don’t you?” Backing off her wrist, he forced a tight smile. “It isn’t a dire situation,”...

Shifting in her seat, the luscious, honeyed scent of her arousal mingled with the apples and cinnamon lingering on her skin, and it took every ounce of control he had not to growl. “I’m not… averse to the idea.” His stare locked on hers, and from the hitch in her breath he knew the red rings in his eyes were ...

“I…” She faltered, glancing away from him. “I guess I’m just… Unsure about the details.” Ahh, there it was. The admission beneath the admission. His little witch was nervous, made skittish by the unknown. And she didn’t know what he would do with her once their feeding session commenced. Perhaps if he gave her a little preview… “Would you like me to explain?” He asked, voice seductively low. “In detail?” Ivy blinked at him. “You mean…” Her throat bobbed. “Y-yes.” The dark, Infernal hunger in him rattled against its chains, a beast desperate to be freed. He could make it so good for her it might just take the edge off. But before he did so, he needed her informed consent.

“Ivy, you’re aware that I’m an Incubus,” he said, holding her stare. “But just as there are many types of people, there are many types of Incubi. And my specific interests are considered niche even amongst my own kind.” “Interests?” The corner of his mouth curved up. “Sexual interests. I’m a Pleasure Dom.” When she didn’t react, he shifted a fraction closer. “Do you know what that is?” “I… I’ve heard of it,” she said. He nodded. “There are a lot of variations even under that title, but for me, it all boils down to two things: pleasure and accountability.”

Ivy’s energy shifted from nervous to intrigued in a heartbeat. It rattled his inner beast’s cage once more. “My sole focus is your desire,” he continued. “Your pleasure in every act.” Silas sipped his wine. “Simply put, I get off on getting you off. Repeatedly.” Her eyes widened, the flush across her cheeks deepening. “And what about… accountability?” “We can discuss implementing a set of rules for our dynamic,” he said. “I may be a Dominant, but I don’t require full submission from my partners. In fact, I appreciate a challen...

“Are you?” He asked, knowing the red in his eyes was flickering. “A Brat?” Her breathing went shallow. “I… I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it.” Grinning, he said, “Then it looks like we have a lot to explore.” “Do you…” She paused. “Do you want to punish me for things that I do?” The tremor in her voice cut him. “No,” he said firmly. “Not unless you request it. I want to give you th...

“I’m not even sure of the things I want,” she admitted quietly. “I have things I like. A few preferences of my own. But I’ve never listed them out or really tried to categorize them.” “That’s fine, Ivy,” he said, lacing his words with gentleness. “We have time for all that. It would be an honor to help you discover more.” He could smell the excitement coursing through her, and it made his fangs ache again.

“Table?” She asked, turning her face towards him a fraction but still keeping her eyes closed. He chuckled, letting the sound vibrate through her. “Yes, Ivy. My padded, leather table made perfectly for all kinds of depraved, delicious things.” Her face flushed and he grinned. “There are other spots in my playroom you could be, but I don’t want to toss you into the deep end. We’ll work up to those.” He watched her lips part just a fraction and knew she was imagining all kinds of wicked things. Silas wrapped his energy around them more, ratcheting up the lustful need inside her.

“You’ll select a toy from my collection,” he continued, letting his breath ghost over her skin. “I’m guessing something with a powerful motor, but you may choose to go a different route. And I’ll sit across from you as you stretch out, spread those perfect, thick thighs, and finally let me see the part of you I can smell soaking your panties right now.” Ivy jerked, shifting in her seat as if trying to hide it.

Chuckling low in his throat, he leaned in closer. “You make my mouth water, little witch. I’m going to enjoying seeing you drip honey all over that leather. I might have to tie myself down so I don’t lunge straight for you and bury my tongue so deep in your cunt you’ll never want anything...

“You’ll fuck yourself while my eyes are glued to that luscious pussy,” he said, voice graveled with need. “Watching you become impossibly slick, maybe even gush down the curve of your arse. I’ll shower you with praise, letting you know just how good you’re doing for me, how much I want you, how beautiful you are as you chase your release.” Her heartrate skyrocketed and Silas growled deep in his chest. “Mhm, I can taste how much you like that,” he said. “Does my little witchling enjoy being praised?” Ivy nodded. “Y-yes. Yes, I—” Her voice cut out as he doubled the carnal energy surrounding them, her back arching slightly.

Breathing against the side of her neck, he grinned as her hands gripped the edge of the table. “You’ll come so beautifully I know my eyes will roll back in my head from such a rich feast,” he said. “But you won’t come only once, Ivy.” She jolted, whimpering again as her teeth sank into her swollen bottom lip. “I’m a greedy, insatiable demon,” he purred. “I’m never satisfied with just one.” “Oh God…” She groaned, rolling against the wooden chair. Silas laughed darkly. “Not even remotely. But I’m sure you’ll get close to seeing him by the time I’m through with you.”

He could sense her climax rushing to crest, but beneath that was an electrical current of otherworldly proportions he needed to taste, even if it overloaded his circuits. Bracing himself on her chair, he sank his tethers in deeper and deeper, until he tapped her magical vein. It took every single ounce of strength in his Infernal body not to roar and fall to his knees in ecstasy.

“You’ll scream for me, Ivy,” he said between gritted teeth. “You’ll convulse as if you were possessed, smearing your thighs with the gorgeous mess you’ll make. You’ll keep coming until you’re wrung out, limp, and begging me for mercy.” Panting, her chin dipped towards her sternum, her knuckles white as she clawed the table. “Does that sound…” He sucked down another breath flavo...

“Be good for me, witchling,” he coaxed in her ear. “Let me see you fall apart.” Gasping sharply, her hips moved at an erratic rhythm, thighs shaking. “That’s it, that’s it. Come for me, Ivy.” In a spectacular flourish, her back bowed and her head fell back, knocking against his shoulder. The tight coil in her body snapped and she jerked, crying out and knocking over her water glass. He chuckled to himself. H...

“Silas,” she gasped, still riding out each wave of pleasure. The possessive beast in his chest howled in delight at the sound of his name on her lips. “You’ll do that too,” he told her, smiling down at her flushed profile. “You’ll say my name like a prayer to Lucifer himself, over and over and over.” He wanted more. Craved more of her, hungered for her like no other. He ached to touch her, to rip her leggings down a...

“I…” Her voice wavered. “I’ve never… That was…” Soothing warmth spread though his whole body, and Silas smiled, turning her around by her seat. “You were perfection, Ivy. Thank you for trusting me with this. With you.” Her hands trembled as she tugged at the hem of her sweater. “I think I should be thanking you,” she said with a breathy laugh. “Most of my exes struggled to even get me off at all, let alone do it with just their voice.” The blush curving up her cheeks contrasted with her freckles, and he was struck again with the urge to kiss every single one.

“There are a lot of skills an Incubus like me has honed over the years,” he said, leaning in close with his hands on her armrests. “And you get to reap the benefits.” Ivy’s dazed stare dropped to his lips and she licked her own. Grinning, he soaked in the residual energy of her orgasm floating through the air. “I certainly don’t feel averse to feeding you now,” she murmured. Silas chuckled. “Good. Because this is just the beginning.”

Tracing her finger over the spines of each tome, her thoughts continuously drifted back to the night before. To Silas’ liquid smoke voice in her ear, spilling all kinds of delicious filth until— God, it had taken everything in her not to squirm and blush her way through breakfast. She’d been given the seat next to him, just like before, and he spent the entire meal staring at her like… Well, like he wanted to eat her.

His demonic hunger should have scared her, but after experiencing his feeding firsthand, all nervousness about the act faded into nothing. It hadn’t been what she’d expected. The gentle caress of auric fangs, dragging their tips along the current of life flowing within her. He’d nipped at her magic, tasting and savoring her power like she was a fine wine. Ivy had waited for the sensation of being drained to hit her, but instead all she felt was… Calm. The ever-present buzzing beneath her skin dialed back until she barely noticed it at all. She’d slept wonderfully and hadn’t been groggy or lagging at all that day. Could feeding Silas be an Infernal replacement for anti-anxiety meds?

You’re just bored, Ivy, she thought. You can entertain yourself. You’re not a child. Go back and ask if you can join in on watching telly. You never pass up a bad reality show. Sighing, she barely caught sight of the corner of his desk before pivoting on her heel. She managed two steps in the opposite direction before he called out. “Ivy?” Shit. “Did you need something?” Silas asked, and his door swung open further by a phantom hand. “Ahh…” She tilted her face towards the ceiling before backing up. “I was just…” She paused in the doorway, fidgeting with the sleeves of her black turtleneck.

Gesturing behind her, she turned, wishing more than ever she’d inherited the gift of invisibility like some of her Witch ancestors. “Ivy.” “Oh, Jesus save me,” she muttered before facing him again. Tucking his hands into his pockets, Silas pushed away from his desk and strode towards her. “I need to take a phone call in fifteen minutes, but it won’t last very long,” he said. “After that, we’ll go.” Ivy blinked up at him. “We?” The grin that curved across his gorgeous face was both warm and predatory, rattling her nervous system. Lover and fiend.

“I said you could leave whenever you’d like,” he said, red rings appearing around his irises. “I didn’t say I’d let you go alone.” “Pardon?” He inched closer, gaze skipping over her appreciatively. “Normally I’d have Boris drive you,” he said. “But you’re correct about the weather being nice for once. It’ll be good to enjoy it.” Ivy took a deep breath, inhaling his woodsy scent into her very core. “Besides,” Silas continued. “I’d quite like to see your flat, and these fuzzy slippers you seem so attached to.” Barking out a laugh, she glanced away, feeling her cheeks heat.

Silas glanced around as she fiddled with the sticking deadbolt. No security cameras. Barely any lights. Perhaps he needed to pay her lending agent a visit. You’re her lending agent. She lives with you now, remember? Self-satisfaction curled through him as memories from the night before flared in his blood. He had constant access to his little witchling now. His. Somehow, he managed not to balk at the word.

Silas cleared his throat. “Ivy?” “Sorry about the mess,” she called without turning around. “I’d meant to clean before leaving for our meeting but…” “Ivy.” He sighed, crossing his arms and leaning his shoulder into the door jam. “Should I take this personally or do you prevent all your guests from coming inside?” Finally, she spun back to face him. A shocked laugh exploded out of her and she covered her mouth. “Oh, Jesus, I’m so sorry,” she exclaimed. “I forgot I warded my place against all unknown magical beings.”

Turning, his gaze found her instantly, and he smiled to himself as he watched her baby talk one of her plants in the kitchen windowsill. As he stepped closer, he saw it was a very large carnivorous one—a Venus Fly Trap with long needle-like teeth ready to snap shut on its prey. “Does it have a name?” He asked, gaze dropping to the inch of skin exposed across her low back as her shirt rode up. Ivy added water to the ceramic tray beneath the pot. “Morticia,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at him. “The Pitcher Plant next to her is Gomez.”

Scanning the racks and shelves housing all the flora, realization dawned on him. Deadly Nightshade, Belladonna, Foxglove, Lily of the Valley, Monksblood… All of her beloved houseplants were poisonous.

“Is it safe to keep so many dangerous things all inside such a small apartment?” Tipping her watering can into the pot of another plant, Ivy chuckled. “I added protection charms to my air vents. And I use gloves when I need to collect from them.” Silas arched an eyebrow. “Collect from them?” When she didn’t respond right away, he inched closer. No one had need for so many deadly things in one place. Unless… “You’re a Bane Worker.”

Ivy stilled, her gaze darting to his profile. The tang of fear mingled with her natural scent, and her cheeks flushed. The corner of Silas’ mouth twitched. His little witchling had more bite than bark it seemed. Reaching up, he twirled the soft end of one of her curls around his fingertip. “Ivy,” he purred, coaxing her to speak. “Alright, yes, fine,” she blurted, whirling to face him so fast she splashed water on her sleeves. “I’m a Bane Worker. That’s my business—the one I moved into this place to save money for. I cast hexes for clients.” The dark, Infernal pride that arose in his chest threatened to steal his breath. More bite indeed. “I vet the...

She may have had more light in her than he did, but her shadows matched his. And he wanted to sink into her darkness and honor every inky shade. “You must think I’m—” Leaning in, he cut her off by brushing his lips up the side of her throat to the softness beneath her ear. “I think you’re a marvelous, wicked thing,” he murmured. Scraping the tips of his fangs over the hinge of her jaw, he grinned like the demon he was as she gasped and arched into him. “You surprise me more and more each day,” he said, dragging his lips to the corner of her mouth.

He didn’t kiss her though. Knew it would drive her mad with longing. Silas was an Infernal, after all. Her hands trembled against his ribs.

“Alright, you little devil,” she said, poking him in the stomach. “That’s enough teasing from you.” Silas laughed, flashing his fangs. “Or what, you’ll drop Oleander petals into my tea?” “Don’t tempt me,” she said, jabbing him again above his bellybutton. He loved it when she treated him like… Well, like an average man.

Holding her by the hips, he savored her warmth, her generous curves, her lush scent, and pulled her closer. Remembering his own rules, he said, “Do you want my hands on you, Ivy?” She blinked up at him—a lost lamb stumbling into a hungry wolf. “Do… are you…” She cleared her throat. “Did you need to feed?” His lips twitched. “That’s not what I’m asking for. Do you want my hands on you?” Ivy glanced down at where he gripped her, the swell of her hips filling his palms so beautifully. “I like it,” she said softly. Silas waited for her to complete her answer. “So… yes,” she finished. “I do.”

He grinned, nodding with encouragement. It wasn’t easy for his witchling to feel comfortable using her words with him, so ...

“Thank you for telling me. I’m glad,” he said. Tracing aimless shapes against her sides, he added, “I should have asked before I put my mouth on your neck. For that, I apologize.” When she gaped, he tucked a few of her curls behind her ear. “You can always say no, Ivy,” he said. “Even to the smallest of touches, or how close I stand to you. You hold the power. And I’ll always respect your decision.” He watched her t...

“Will you take your hands off me, please?” She asked, tone light. Silas did so immediately. “And take three steps back?” He did, gaze never leaving her face. He knew what she was doing, what she was demonstrating to herself. Ivy needed proof that he would honor his promise. That her words, her desires, her demands would be respected. It was a struggle not to purr like a proud lion as he drank in her delighted, relieved expression. “Okay then,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “You can come back.” Waiting only half a beat, Silas reversed his actions, closing the distance and putting his hands back onto her hips just like before.

His gaze dropped to her perfect cupid’s bow, and he felt the ring of red in his eyes intensify until it was reflecting in her own. A small smile curved her mouth. “Would you like to kiss me?” His grip on her tightened. He wanted to do much, much more than kiss her. Silas had half a mind to hoist her up onto the counter and bury his face between her thighs until her neighbors and every passerby on the street knew his name. “Yes,” he admitted. “But not in front of the children,” he added with a wink, gaze shifting to the many potted, deadly plants behind her.

Grinning, he pecked her cheek before releasing her, silently delighted by the ...

As she finished watering the last of her poisonous plants, she gave him an odd sort of look over her shoulder. “What?” He asked. Ivy smiled, and Silas’ chest sparked with warmth. “You know, for an Infernal, you’re not very scary,” she said, setting her pitcher into the sink. He couldn’t help but crowd into her space once more, as if she had the positive magnet to his negative one hidden beneath her skin. Planting his hands onto the edge of the counter on either side of her, h...

Silas inhaled her scent steadily, letting it ground him. “You will see that side of me though. Now that you work for me, it’s inevitable.” Nodding, Ivy worried her bottom lip. “But I never want you to feel scared,” he continued. “Do you understand that difference?” “You’re dangerous and frightening, but I’m never in danger with you,” she said. “To be fair, I haven’t been afraid of you yet.” He smirked. “That’s not exactly true.”

“I… I think it’s my default,” she continued, lashes fluttering as she glanced down. “It’s easier to expect the worst than to hope for the best.” His heart twisted, knowing just how much Ivy must have been mistreated if her entire outlook on life was to brace for impact. It made him want to find whoever was the culprit and burn them and their houses to the ground.

“I’m sorry for letting that cloud my judgement of you,” she murmured. Silas kissed the bridge of her nose, memorizing the smattering of freckles there. “You’re forgiven, my little witchling,” he said, letting his voice drop several octaves just to watch her pupils dilate. He didn’t miss the way her hips rocked gently against his leg. Nearly snarled like a hungry animal when her stare raked over his torso, dropping to his aching cock. Maybe he’d need to feed sooner than he thought after all.

“What do you need packed up?” He asked, glancing over at her chaotic living space. “A lot.” Ivy half-winced. “Everything?” Silas pushed away from the counter, slipping his hands into his trouser pockets as he surveyed the apartment. “I’ll tell Boris to bring extra boxes,” he said. “And special trays for your baneful beauties there,” he added, jerking his chin at her plants. “I wish I’d thought to name my business that,” she laughed....

Pausing at one of her bookshelves, he scanned the titles and made a mental note to add them to his libraries at home.

As Ivy listed her necessities, already pulling a few from her drawers and a large steamer trunk, he studied each item with care. And just as she started to look overwhelmed by the amount she needed to pack, Silas cleared his throat to get her attention. “Allow me,” he said, and snapped his fingers. Suddenly the pile of clothing and magical tools disappeared. Ivy gasped. “Where did you put my stuff?” “In your room, back at my house,” he said, smirking. “How—” She faltered. “Infernal. Right. Of course.”