Page 17 of My Demon Charming

Shit. I knew I shouldn’t have believed anything he said to me. But even if I didn’t believe it, it’s not like I can do anything to escape him. If we were on the ground, maybe. But even then, he’s still a demon and I’m still me. A weak human who can’t save himself.

“You wanted to kill me?”

Lucian turns and glances at me. When he sees my face, his wings retract leaving feathers behind that disperse in the wind and he faces me completely.

“What? No. I never—that’s not what I meant.” He takes a step forward, but I take one back because I don’t want him. I don’t want to believe another thing that comes out of his mouth.

“You just said?—”

“That’s not…let me…allow me to explain.”

I don’t think I’ve heard him fumble with his words in all the time I’ve known him, which can’t be longer than a couple of hours so it doesn’t say much, but still. The fact that he does makes me pause. Maybe…maybe there is an explanation.

“Okay,” I say, and Lucian takes a deep breath, his features softening with what looks like relief.

“Thank you. You…I told you how summoning works.” I nod. “And I told you, you’re not the first to summon me. Humans have been doing it for centuries. But you see, most don’t care to ever exorcise me. They get drunk on the power of having a demon do their bidding.”

“That sounds horrible. I’m sorry.”

“I know you are.”

He smiles so sadly that I want to smooth his face back into a happy smile, but I can’t. Not until I know the truth.

“That’s what makes you so different. That’s why I like you, Yu-jin. That’s why my soul chose you.”

I shake my head.

“What does that have to do with killing me?”

Lucian steps to the side, and the lynx sidles up next to him.

“This is Brimfang. She took me under her wing when I was still a young hellhound. Because she chose me, she’s not affected by the summoning principles. Which means she helps free me whenever I’m enslaved by a new human.”

Brimfang nuzzles against his hip, and he gives her a good scratch behind the ears. Like that, she looks harmless. Gigantic but harmless.

“I promise I’m going to release you. I won’t keep you h?—”

“I know you won’t.”

He takes one more step and puts a hand on my shoulder. I let him. When I don’t react negatively to his touch, he moves it up to my neck.

“I believe you, darling boy. And most importantly, my soul believes you. You are my soulmate. Whether you release me or not, I’m yours. And that’s something I wouldn’t ever want to change.”

It’s hard to breathe when a literal demon, standing so much taller than you, declares his undying devotion to you. It’s even harder to regulate your temperature. It doesn’t matter that we’re standing miles above the city where the air is chilly, no matter the time or season. My entire body is bursting at the seams with the heat of a million suns.

“Thank you.”

I tilt my head a little, not enough to be too forward but enough to be suggestive.

I don’t know if his declaration means he wants to kiss me, wants to do more to me, with me, but I certainly do.

“Are you begging for a kiss, darling boy?” he whispers, and his words threaten to make me combust.

I’m like a magnet, being pulled to another, and I can’t fight it, nor do I want to.

“Is…is that okay?”

His answer is his lips.

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