Page 51 of I Summoned A Demon For A Date?!
"Rosie, stay behind me," Aldaine murmured, his voice low and commanding. The gentle man who'd held me moments ago had vanished, replaced by something ancient and dangerous.
I obeyed without thinking, my legs trembling as I moved behind his protective stance. The air around us felt electric, charged with power that made the hair on my arms stand on end.
"Really, Aldaine?" Blackwood's voice rumbled like distant thunder. "Still playing the gallant protector? How quaint." His burning gaze shifted to me, and I felt it like a physicaltouch, invasive and cold. "Though I must admit, I see the appeal. She's always been delicious, I always thought it was a shame that my contract wouldn't be going to her instead of Stephany."
Aldaine snarled, the sound so inhuman it sent shivers down my spine. "Touch her and it will be the last thing you ever do."
"So territorial," Blackwood laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "And over a human, no less. How the mighty have fallen."
Stephany watched our exchange with obvious delight, her eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction. "He's right, you know. It's pathetic." Her gaze raked over me dismissively. "Using magic to get a man, or should I say a demon, because you couldn't manage it on your own merits."
Blackwood's massive hand came to rest on Stephany's shoulder, possessive and familiar. "Now, now, sweet one. Let's not be hypocritical." His razor-toothed smile widened. "After all, your family has been enjoying my services for generations."
"What is he talking about?" I demanded, finding my voice at last. I directed the question at both Stephany and Aldaine, my mind racing to make sense of what was happening.
Aldaine's shoulders tensed further. "He's a contract demon, like me. But his methods are different."
"Different?" Blackwood scoffed. "More efficient, you mean. More profitable." He gestured to the sprawling estate around us. "Your precious human family didn't build all this through hard work and honest means, did they, Stephany dear?"
Stephany's expression hardened. "That's none of her business."
"Oh, but it is now," Blackwood countered, his burning eyes fixed on me. "Since she's gone and tied herself to my old friend Aldaine. Practically family now, aren't we all?"
Aldaine took a step forward, and though he remained in his human form, something about him seemed to grow larger, more imposing. The air around him shimmered with heat.
"Enough games, Blackwood. State your business and be gone. You have no claim here."
"No claim?" Blackwood's laughter boomed across the pool area, echoing unnaturally. "I've had a contract with the women of this family for seven generations. I'm practically a Thompson myself."
I looked at Stephany, who was watching the exchange with a mixture of smugness and something else, fear, maybe? "Is that true?"
Before she could answer, Aldaine cut in. "His contract isn't with Stephany. It would be with Jan."
"Smart boy," Blackwood purred. "Always were the clever one. Yes, the delightful Jan was my benefactor." He leaned down, his massive face coming uncomfortably close to mine despite Aldaine's protective stance. "Passed down from mother to daughter, a family tradition. Jan received me from her mother, who received me from hers, and so on. All very touching, truly. Now the contract has moved to Stephany once she marries a man worthy of the estate."
"And what exactly do you offer them?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady despite the fear coursing through my body.
"Wealth. Influence. Success." Blackwood straightened to his full, imposing height. "Everything humans crave. Everything they aren't worthy of but desire anyway."
"And in exchange?" I pressed, though I suspected I already knew the answer.
"I feed," his reply simple. "Their greed, their ambition, their petty hatreds, such delicious sustenance." He inhaled deeply, as if savoring a fine aroma. "This family's capacity for spite and malice has kept me well-fed for generations."
The pieces clicked into place. "So that's why," I looked at Stephany, understanding dawning. "That's why you've always hated me. Why Jan did too, until recently. He's been feeding on your negative emotions, encouraging them."
"Don't be ridiculous," Stephany snapped, but her voice lacked conviction. "I dislike you because you've always been an embarrassment. The fat, awkward barnacle clinging to our family."
Aldaine growled, a sound so predatory it made both Stephany and Blackwood pause. "Watch your tongue when you speak to her."
"Why?" Stephany challenged, stepping forward despite Blackwood's restraining hand on her shoulder. "Because you've got some supernatural claim on her now? That's the only way she'd ever get someone like you to look at her twice."
I felt Aldaine's rage building like a physical force, the air around us growing hotter.
"What contract do you have with her, anyway?" Stephany pressed, her voice dripping venom. "Did she sell her soul for a week of decent sex? Seems like a poor bargain."
"That's enough!" Aldaine's voice thundered, deep and resonant with power. Though he remained in human form, his eyes flashed with inhuman light.
I placed my hand on his arm, feeling the coiled tension in his muscles. "It's okay," my voice steady. "She can't hurt me."
