Devil's Mark (The Reckless Damned, #1)

by Lark Taylor

There was a dead body in my bookshop. Again.

The first sentence 💀

And why always in front of the romances?

HAHAHAHAHAH

“Morning, my fellow fire-breathing bitch queens!” Harlow’s greeting was stolen from one of his favourite books. He loved how ironically it could be applied to the three of us. He swept in on a cloud of cologne that smelled of honey and oranges. “To what do I owe the pleasure of such an early morning—Oh, for fuck’s sake, not the rug again.”

omg I love him 😂😂😂

No, it was safer with humans. There was no risk of me developing feelings, and I didn’t much care if they did. Time had proven how fast humans got over heartbreak. Not like demons. Our love was rare but all-consuming. When we fell in love and marked another as our own, that was it for us.

Catching Mori’s eye over the top of the man’s head, I asserted my authority by mouthing the universally recognised code of siblings—even demonic ones. Dibs.

LMAOOOO

“Satan, Oscar. You look so pretty on your knees for me.”

Oscar let out another gasp and suddenly twisted on the bed. Before I could react, he was lunging off the bed to where I knelt and pushing his face into my chest, clinging to me like a koala. Even in sleep, it was as though his body sensed he was safe with me.

Hell, if I had my way, Oscar would never leave the safety of my embrace again. Demons were very possessive when we found something we wanted.

Calling on my ancient well of power, I leaned forward and placed my lips on Oscar’s forehead. Marking him as mine.

“What? No.” Rattled, I dropped him and stepped back. “It’s not like that. I’d be the same with any human who was suffering.”

Bruh when 🤣🤣

“I knew then I couldn’t leave him unprotected. It was like I was acting without thinking…like his soul was calling out to mine, and I had to answer. Like he was the other half of me that I hadn’t even realised was missing.”

“So you’re saying I’m your…mate? Like a fated mate thing?” He flinched. “Nope. Cannot even discuss this without questioning my sanity. Am I that hard up for sex that I’m hallucinating a romance novel?”

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Harlow leapt off the bed and bounced on his toes. “Well, I know what a protective bear he can be, and I knew he wouldn’t let me meet you yet. So I snapped his neck to give us some privacy.”

you WHAT🤣

“Cal can never love another. By giving you his mark, he’s given you his heart. Even if you reject him, he will never be satisfied by anyone else. He’ll spend the rest of your life working in the shadows to protect you, and when you die—”

“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. I’ll be by your side as long as you’ll let me.”

Holding Oscar through the remnants of his anxiety attack was one of the worst moments of my life. Watching his brain trick his body into betraying him left me feeling powerless.

“More than that, you should know that demons are selfish and possessive creatures. When there’s something we want, we won’t stop until it’s ours. If you were mine, if you accepted the bond, I would never let you go. You would become the focus of my life, the being I would put before all others.”

In fact, the only time he left my lap was when I stopped to prepare us food, unable to ignore even the slightest rumbling of Oscar’s stomach.

I noticed how he found a way to constantly touch me. He would trail around the kitchen after me, his hand on my back as he chatted. He tucked himself under my arm as I made omelettes for lunch, his eyes bright as he exclaimed over my tales of living in California during the gold rush.

I don’t think he even noticed he was doing it, and I certainly wasn’t about to point it out. I cuddled him closer, my chest hurting at how touch-deprived he was. If Oscar wanted me to carry him around like a baby koala all day, then you could bet your arse that was what I would do.

Eventually, exhaustion won out over curiosity. I stared down at him as he slept, entranced by how his curls fell over his forehead and his face relaxed while I held him close. I traced every freckle on his skin, every line and facet that made him unique. Even in sleep, he clung to me like a burr. Whenever I shifted, he moved with me, never breaking the contact between us.

I may have given Oscar the option to walk away from me, but all of Hell wouldn’t be enough for me to walk away from him.

“Because he’s the most dangerous. He’s known as the butcher of the ninth circle—a title he earned over the years, regardless of whether or not he wanted it. The ninth is where the most heinous souls are sent for punishment. His reputation lives on there even though it’s been a century since he’s followed orders. Other than our father, Cal is the most powerful demon ever created. Some want to kill him for credit, others to prove their strength, and the rest to punish him for turning his back on Hell.”

I snorted. “Bailey is a huge fan. Naturally, I was Bucky.” “The hotter one.” “See, I knew you’d get it! Everyone is always drooling over Chris Evans, but the truth is that Sebastian Stan is where it’s at.”

Exactly lmao

“Being with you, I feel like I’m…safe to be the person I want to be.

A sob shuddered out of me, and Cal enveloped me in his arms, whispering words of comfort. “It’s okay. I need to finish this. Can you…would you hold me? While I finish telling you?” “Always,” he vowed.

“For the hundreds of years I’ve been alive, I’ve been solely focused on myself. The only other beings I’ve ever taken into consideration are my brothers. I’ve chased down my own pleasure, not caring for the happiness of others. And until I met you, I didn’t realise how lonely and…unsatisfied I was. Making you happy, seeing you smile, and knowing it’s because of me, fulfils me in a way I can’t explain. After centuries of thinking of myself and what I want, I don’t want to think like that anymore. It’s like you’ve flicked this switch in me, one that makes me want to be the person you deserve.”

No place was safe. I fucked him over the kitchen counter, in the shower, on the sofa, and even once against a bookshelf in the shop. The only times we managed to have sex in the bed was when we first woke up, our bodies seeking each other out automatically. As much as I loved our fast and furious couplings against the nearest flat surface, those cuddly early-morning sessions were my favourite. Slow and full of lingering kisses and caresses.

well damnnnnnnnnn

“Thanks for the offer, but I’d rather play with actual bad boys as opposed to ones who dress up like them. At least with them, there are no false pretences and you know where you stand.”

HAAHAHHA I LOVE HIM SM

“We just fucked in a closet. In The Closet. If we get caught leaving here, the irony might kill me.”

HAHAHAHAHAH

Closing my book, Always, a fabulous brother’s best friend story by Loren Leigh, I gave a satisfied sigh.

I love that book

“A bookshop?” She waggled her eyebrows at Oscar. “No wonder you like him. He looks like a fucking wet dream and he owns a bookshop?”

“Thank you for making my brother so happy. If I can find even an ounce of what you guys have, I’ll consider myself a very lucky demon.”

“I hate that I’m doing this, but I love you. I love you for offering. I love you for risking everything to save my brother. I love every fucking thing about you, and I don’t want to wait another second to tell you. I love you, Oscar, and once this is over, I’m going to tell you every minute for the rest of eternity.”

Without speaking a word, he crossed the short distance between them. A flash of hope bloomed in Dimitri’s eyes. And was immediately extinguished as Dagon swung back one massive fist and punched him in the face.

💀💀

After knocking Dimitri to the ground, Dagon had marched off to the portal entrance without another word, leaving the rest of us in the dust. Dimitri had left soon after, unable to hide the pain in his eyes.

Awwww😭😭😭💔💔

“I’m still confused,” I admitted. “Why would saving me negate your other deal? I’m not one of your brothers.” “You are,” Dagon said gently. “You wear Cal’s mark. My magic and soul recognise you as one of us. Now that you are bonded, you are as much a brother to me as the rest of these morons.”

I’m crying 😭😭😭😭

“I’m not okay,” he whispered. “I’m so much better than okay. I stood up to him. I fought him off. He doesn’t have any power over me anymore.” I pulled him to me in a rough embrace. “I’m so fucking proud of you, sweetheart. I couldn’t have asked for a better man to wear my mark.”

UGHHHH😍😍😍😍😍

With Bailey and Cal’s brothers' help, we’d pulled it off. Bailey wasn’t here tonight though. He’d originally offered to help set up, but once he’d heard that Harlow would be there, he’d dipped out.

💀💀😂