Page 7 of True Sacrifice
His eyes looked up at me, and my entire body froze. His eyes were red, too. A deeper shade than the color of his skin, but in the light, you could see the red shine of his iris. Part of me wanted to shrink back away from this powerful monster, but I didn’t.
“You’ll heal on your own soon.” His finger rubbed back and forth across my hand in a soothing gesture. His tone was pleasant. He had always been cordial, if not entirely neutral, but this was something more.
“What do you mean, mated to a demon?” I whispered. The dropping sensation in my stomach told me I already knew what he was about to say. I needed to hear it out loud.
He smiled at me. “I mean you are my mate, Princess.”
“Fuck that,” I said, ripping my hand free from his. “Ow. Fuck.”
He stood abruptly, like he was trying not to lunge to my aid. Or maybe he just wanted to tackle me.
I stood up on the bed as fast as I could. “No, no, no,” I said, pointing to him. “I am not anyone’s mate. No one gets to tell me I must be with someone. You have got the wrong girl if you’re looking for that shit.”
“Your blood called to us when you were dying. I answered that call. You don’t have to accept the bond between us now. The day will come when I am exactly what you dream about when you wake up gasping for air.” I couldn’t tell if he was saying it in a way of pleasure or pain. I’ll admit he was hot, if you didn’t mind the horns and the tail. Which I didn’t. Plus, his voice did things a voice had never done to me before. But really, he didn’t need to be so fucking cocky about it.
“So, now what? Do I get to hang out in this room until I decide I love you? That sounds a lot like some Beauty and the Beast type mental fuckery. Oh! Do you transform into a human when I fall in love with you? Because honestly, I think the horns and tail turn me on?”
His entire body froze, and his jaw hung open in shock. Perfect. I took off for the door, running across the bed and passing him as fast as I could. I made it through the doorway and into a hallway. Blindly, I chose right and started running away as fast as I could make my legs go. Long red curtains ran along the walls, accented by more of the glowing rocks for a soft light. Doors appeared randomly and rather far apart from one another, as if each room was house sized. Hallways would turn up. As in, one second there was no opening, and then the next it appeared, as if it had always been there. I had no plan, and I did not know where I was going, which is exactly how I ended up colliding with another person after taking a blind turn.
I made an undignified sound as the stranger caught me before I could hit the floor. I looked up into sea-foam green eyes lined with thick black lashes. He had short black hair on the sides, while the top just fell to his eyes. It momentarily confused me, as he looked entirely human. Tanned skin, muscular build, dressed in a… fuck. Dressed exactly like fucking Jasper. He looked down at me with a smile, which he quickly fixed in a frown. His arms opened suddenly, and I fell the remaining way to the floor. Just then, heavy footfalls approached.
“Losing your mate so soon, Jasper?” The stranger said from above.
I looked up at Jasper guiltily. I had given little thought to there being other demons in Hell. Or that I would run into one when I didn’t know where to go.
Jasper bent down and picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder.
I struggled, kicking my legs wildly until he clamped a hand over them tightly. “Let me go, this instant.” I hit him in the back with my fucked-up hand and screamed in pain.
He spanked my ass. “Quit hurting yourself.”
Stunned, I quit moving. No one had ever spanked me before. It didn’t hurt, not really, but it shocked me. I felt movement as he turned us and walked away. I looked up to see the stranger still standing there, watching my humiliation. I felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment. Clearly, that was someone that knew Jasper well, and that was a terrible first impression.
Jasper carried me back to my room, closing the door and locking us both inside. I was gently deposited onto the bed. He took a seat on the chair near the balcony.
“You cannot run off like that. You do not know where you are or who you could run into. Not when you haven’t harnessed your powers yet.” Jasper looked at me seriously. It reminded me of a parental talk, and I had enough.
“I don’t know what’s going on here,” I yelled.
“Then stop fucking trying to hurt me or escape every time I talk to you,” he yelled back. Finally, I got to see a little emotion. He stood and paced back and forth, letting a little more of that wild animal inside him show.
“I can’t trust you.” I bit back, and it made him flinch. “I woke up here confused as to where I was and what even happened. You were here to say I couldn’t go home, that I had to stay here with you. What about that sounds like you’re the good guy?”
“I’m not the good guy,” he growled, making me flinch back.
“Yeah, I can see that.” I crossed my arms over my chest, being careful not to hit my hand. It only really hurt now if I hit it.
He slipped on the mask of neutrality I knew from him. “There is a feast being held in honor of the new mates tonight. There will be a suitable dress in the closet for you. Would you like help getting dressed?”
Seriously? “Fuck you. The only way you’re going to see me naked is in your head when you jack off in the shower later thinking about me.”
He raised an eyebrow curiously at me as I realized what I said.Why. Why did I even go there?
“I meant to have some of the female demons come and help you get ready. You could talk to them while they dress you. Maybe get some answers you’ve been looking for?” he offered, and I realized he was trying to be helpful. Would be a lot better if he would just sit and explain things when I ask him to.
“I guess,” I sighed.
A team of chatty demons burst through the door well over an hour after Jasper left. He hadn’t locked the door behind him this time. I understood why. Where would I go? Four demons were now standing around my bed, looking at me excitedly. I was honestly not in the mood to be the freak human all the demons came to stare at.
