Page 19 of Once Upon a Demon's Heart
She whimpers out in pain and clutches her stomach.
Is she?No, please tell me she isn’t going into heat. My cheeks warm and the veins in my hands are protruding.
I tamper down my monstrous urges and let my teeth sink into her neck instead. It’s either feed and bring her body back to normal levels with my venom, or I’ll end up breeding her in here for fucking hours.
She cries out as I suck down her golden blood. It tastes like the sweetest of apples. Rich with life and nectar. How can something as vile as her taste so ethereal?
I groan over her throat and readjust my grip on her. She’s limp now, and the scent is finally fading. Alira lets out a relieved sigh—she must find me utterly repulsive. I wish she was as horrendous on the outside as she is on the inside. The lull in my rage and vengeance for her when she lifted her helmet pisses me off to no end.
I can’t despise her less just because she’s the most enchanting creature I’ve ever laid my eyes on, but the curve of her pouting lips begs to differ. The sorrow in her eyes is tangible like violets dipped in salted tears. I crave her to no end.
Her blood spills down my lip and trickles over her breast. I release her neck and stroke my tongue over her soft flesh. She sucks in a breath and lets it out when I don’t lick her chest more.
Fuck.
I want to bite her breast and flick her nipple with my tongue—make her whimper and writhe in my arms like a helpless little thing. I like that she’s so weak to me. It makes the urge to fill her with my come overwhelming. I want her to suffer, but why do I also want her to see me? I want her to find comfort in my arms as much as I wish to bring tears to her weary eyes.
She will endure my pain, no matter how I yearn to covet her. I’ve sworn to it.
Pluto almighty, let me bring her punishment no matter what spells her beauty casts upon me.
Chapter Seven
ALIRA
Kalel wipeshis lips and lets me go. My body is definitely warmed up now. I try to ignore the fact that I just had a flare up and was grinding my hips on his cock like some lovesick succubus.
I just thank the gods that he doesn’t bring any attention to it. I put it out of my mind as I rub my throat and wince at the slight pain that flashes at the touch. It will likely bruise.
Kalel’s brows crease at the motion. “You make me out to be such a brutal man, you know that?”
“Brutaldemon, and aren’t you? You’ve spoken so much about how terrible I am. But what about you? The blood on your hands outnumbers mine, twenty to one,” I grumble. Not that he’d understand my jab.
I expect him to get mad at my comment, but he remains silent, staring into the fire.
I’ve seen first-hand how he fights. How hekills.So why does the melancholy I find in his gaze make my heart ache so much? Perhaps it’s because together we carry the weight of many souls. No one comes out of war unscathed.
Kalel remains silent for a long time before he slowly mutters, “I’d like to think I’m more than what I am on the battlefield.”His voice is smooth and placid. A dark strand of hair falls over his forehead as he gives me a side long glance. “Are you only a knight? With the hundreds of lives at the end of your blade?”
It’s been so long since I’ve actually been to the demon’s territory, what with the loop I’ve been trapped in, but his words land in a place inside my heart I thought I killed long ago.
“Yes. I know nothing else.” I tell him what I think he wants to hear.
He shakes his head slowly as he stands and moves to my back. My spine straightens as his thighs wrap around me on either side. His cold lips meet my shoulder, making my chest lurch. At least the fire is warm; I try to focus on the flames. They cast out the chill that had set into my bones—another kiss, this time on my neck.
I prepare myself for the sting of his fangs once more, but it doesn’t come. Instead, I’m surprised by the weight of his chin on my shoulder.
“Are you warming?” He asks—the cruel edge his usual tone carries has lightened.
“Yes.”
He remains behind me, holding me, relaxed with his chin on my shoulder. I don’t bother telling him that his body offers no warmth. I’m sure he’s aware of that fact.
Demons that don’t feel the deep cold of the world; they’d never be able to warm others. It’s almost sad if I think about it too long. He’s rare among his kind too. Usually that lends to a lonely upbringing. I can relate to that—never really belonging somewhere entirely.
“What will happen once we reach Devicit?” I ask in a mere whisper.
He rolls his face so that his cheek is now pressed to my shoulder. I can feel his gaze. “There will be a peace agreement issued once we arrive safely, then the war ends. That’s it. Thenyou will live in my mansion for the remainder of your days. Although you’ll hear the demon-folk call it Lornhelm Palace.”
