Page 22 of Knotted By the Demon

“Sooo,” Sofia drawled. “Do you think he’s hot or not?”

Oh, right!I hadn’t answered her. I thought about denying it. But I didn’t want to. I nodded slowly. Yeah, Demon was hot.

“It’s supposed to storm tonight,” she continued in a hushed whisper. “There’s a late-season tropical storm in the gulf. It shouldn’t be too bad because the gulf waters have cooled off. But there’s a possibility of strong wins and tornados.”

“Really?” I asked. Back at the compound, no one updated me on mundane things like the weather or any news unless it was something that would bring me to tears or hurt my feelings.

“Yep,” she said, popping the P in the most adorable way. “My cabin isn’t too far from here. It’s within walking distance. But it’s not in the best shape. Actually, it’s in pretty bad shape.”

She sounded so dejected that I wanted to hug her and tell her it would be okay. At least she had a cabin to call home. I had... nothing.

“Maybe we can ride the storm out here,” she murmured.

I would sure love to have her ride me.I blinked. Shock zipped through me at my thoughts. I didn’t even like being ridden. I hated it, in fact. Where were these thoughts coming from?

“Did you hear me?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yes. Ride. The storm.” What was I saying? Why was I so strange?

Instead of staring at me like I was an idiot, she released another one of her signature chuckles. She should be careful. A guy could get used to that sound and desire to hear it every day.

“Does bad weather scare you?” she asked. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from the storm.”

Storms didn’t scare me. People did. But right now, I wasn’t feeling afraid. And that was new. It had been so long since I hadn’t had fear clawing at my throat, threatening to suffocate me. I swallowed, and for the hundredth time, I wondered if this was a cruel dream. If it was, I wanted to stay here and never wake up.

I’d rather die here than return to my cage. I was warm. I was fed. I was being treated like a human being instead of an unwanted pet. Tears stung my eyes. I blinked them back, not wanting to alarm the beautiful Sofia. Storm or no storm, I wasn’t ready to leave here yet. Sofia went silent when Demon reentered the room.

His gaze flicked from me to her, his signature scowl deepening as he rubbed his hands over his pants, looking anywhere but at us now. I waited for the dread I always felt in the presence of alphas to thread through my veins. I waited for my body to lock up and prepare to be struck.

I waited for the tell-tell signs that I was about to retreat into myself until the fists stopped raining down on me. That didn’t happen. I was slightly tense. But my body wasn’t telling me to shut down, to retreat, to pretend I was anywhere else but right here with an alpha who looked brutal but didn’t feel threatening.

His voice, rough and gravelly, broke the silence. "It has started raining. A storm’s coming tonight. It’s a slow mover and will linger for a few days. It’s not safe to leave. You’ll stay here."

Though his words were clipped and his tone left no room for argument, he seemed nervous. A nervous alpha.Interesting. Then he went quiet as if waiting for us to challenge him, to argue or demand he let us go. But I wasn’t going anywhere. Where would I even go? Out into the storm, barefoot and wearing nothing but boxers?

Without protection, I wouldn’t last an hour. I had no weapon, no shelter. Hell, I didn’t even have shoes. I risked a glance at Sofia. She didn’t look like she was in any rush to leave, either. She wanted to ride out the storm here. That much was clear.

But instead of saying anything to Demon, she was watching me, waiting patiently for my response.Oh. Right.She’d asked me earlier about staying, and I hadn’t answered. I nodded at her, swallowing my nerves. I wanted to stay... for a while.

Sofia smiled, her gaze shifting to Demon. “We’ll ride the storm out here with you, big guy.”

Demon’s only response was a single jerk of his head. He didn’t seem pleased, exactly, but he wasn’t upset either. He just stood there, looming like a dark, brooding shadow, watching us. My gaze returned to Sofia, whose eyes were on the alpha.Her ropes!I don’t know where the boldness came from, but the words left my lips before I could stop them.

“Her wrists and ankles,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. “Free them... please.”

Sofia looked at me, her gaze melting me where I sat. She winked at me and took it from there, lifting her bound wrists with a smirk.

“Yeah, my wrists and ankles, big guy. You’ve had your kinky fun. Now free me.”

“Kink...” he stopped before he could get the entire word out.

Demon’s throat worked as he swallowed, his eyes narrowing like he didn’t want to untie her. For a moment, I thought he might refuse. Then, with a low growl, he stalked toward her. He dropped to one knee in front of her, and I couldn’t help but stare. It wasn’t often you saw an alpha kneeling.

And yet, there he was, lowering himself in front of Sofia without hesitation. It was strange, almost reverent. His broad shoulders blocked her body from my view as he leaned in, his rough fingers making quick work of the knots. Sofia watchedhim with an amused smile, but I could feel the tension between them.

Not bad tension. This was electric, crackling in the air. I leaned forward to get a better view of her. Once her wrists were free, Demon didn’t move on to her ankles right away. Instead, he removed the handkerchiefs from her wrists, exposing the red marks the ropes had left behind. My gaze narrowed when I saw the bruises marring her skin.

Seeing those bruises sent a ripple of anger through me, sudden and unexpected. My hackles rose, the omega in me recoiling instinctively. Yet, another part of me rose up, defiant and destructive, something I’d never felt before. It wasn’t just that her wrists were bruised. It was the thought of anyone hurtingmySofia, even indirectly, that made me want to defend her.

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