Page 87 of Demons and Debts
I’m her.
I pull the towel around me, closing my legs and curling into a ball on the bed. What was I thinking? I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t in my right mind.
He’s sitting on the bed looking at me and I take a shaky breath.
‘Did you … I can't believe you just did that,’ I say.
Except that I can believe it. I should have expected it. He's a demon after all. Joke’s on me.
‘What are you talking about?’ he asks.
‘You used your power on me. You made me …’
His lip curls into a sneer. ‘I didn't make you do shit.’
Shaking his head, he stalks out of the room, slamming the door behind him, and I'm left wondering what the hell just happened. He didn't feed from me, I'm sure of that, but what was the point? Why did he come here? Why did he dothat?
I glare at the camera as I wrap the towel around me tightly and go back into the bathroom, shutting the door and getting back into my bath that's now lukewarm. I curl my knees into my chest. It doesn't feel like he forced me. It doesn't feel like I didn't want it. My body is still humming from what he did, but it’s sated too.
And I want more.
I put my head in my hands. Is this how it starts, the need for them like a drug?
Is it like what I’ve heard about heroin? One time and you’re hooked on a high you can't ever forget about? Is sex with these men going to be the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about before I fall asleep at night? A traitor’s voice in my head asks if that would be so bad.
An hour ago I would have had an answer, but now … I don’t know.
17
SIE
It's almost sick watching Paris with the new girl. I sit in the corner of the games room with a book, watching her glance tentatively at me every once in a while as she sits next to him on the black leather couch. He’s teaching her to play video games.
I snort. He's putting a lot of effort into this game and it stinks of desperation. I side-eye Kor. He's staring at them too, a hungry look in his eye - for Paris or for the new girl I can't say.
I swear under my breath. She's going to end up dead for one reason or another I think as I stand up and leave the room. My body is humming. Things have been a little bit better recently but I'm still on borrowed time. I crack my neck and head up towards my room, but halfway up I change my mind to go back down through the kitchen to the basement door. It's open as usual. I could just text Carrie or one of the other ones. Hell, there's even a bell in my room to call them like sex maids or something, but for some reason, I feel like I need to go down. The steps don’t make a sound as I descend which is a feat considering my size. When I get to the bottom, all three of them are watching TV, sitting practically on top of each other. Two of them are just staring at the screen and a third one is crying quietly between them. I clear my throat and Carrie gets up. The others don't even turn around. She looks a little worse for wear.
‘What's going on?’ I ask.
‘You tell us,’ she says, folding her arms.
I shake my head, not understanding the reason for her attitude.
‘You get a new girl and suddenly none of us are worth our salt?’
‘Are you fucking jealous?’ I sneer. ‘Is that what you’re moping around down here for?’
‘What the hell are you talking about?’ she growls at me in a pretty good imitation of a wolf shifter. She points to the other two. ‘We don’t give a shit who you assholes are feeding off, but incubus withdrawal is a real fucking thing and all our contracts said you can’t just stop feeding from us cold turkey.’
‘You haven't been called,’ I guess.
‘None of us have,’ Carrie murmurs. ‘It's been days and we're all feeling it.’
She clutches her belly and a look of pain comes over her face.
I’d come down here thinking I might feed, but now that I'm here the thought makes me feel sick.
Fuck!
