Page 53 of Demon: Monsterverse
“You better not,” I mumbled. He stepped away from the wall, and my legs wobbled as he set me on my feet. I licked my lips, and the nagging question burst free. “Did she touch you? Or did you touch yourself in front of her?”
He reeled back. “No one is to touch or watch me except you.”
My shoulders dropped, and I brushed my hair behind my ears while heat warmed my face.
His tail lifted to caress across the bridge of my nose.
“I enjoy when you change color.”
I snorted and cuddled close to him.Oh shit.There was a dent in the wall in the shape of my body. I grinned up at him.
“Get me out of here.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
BRIDGET
He gotme out of there after we’d scrounged for some clothing in Nikita’s office. No one stopped us, and every monster gave him a wide berth. It’d been because of me that he’d stayed, he always had the strength to get us out, but I’d stubbornly tried to keep my word.
Not anymore.
The travel time back to his cave was shorter than when I’d trudged across on my own. But it was likely easier because he carried me for all of it.
“We will arrive soon.”
I peeked up at Tene. He’d become stiff, and his runes continued dimming. Something obviously bothered him.
“What’s wrong?” I asked again, hoping he would answer. He looked down at me and then back up. His lipless mouth parted with a sigh.
“My cave does not have the human comforts you enjoyed.”
That was what bothered him? I sank my teeth into my lower lip to hide my smile. My sweet demon.
“I have a solution.”
I focused on him, but he didn’t elaborate.
The terrain dipped on a familiar incline leading to the entrance to his cave. Elbri’s blood still marked the ground, but her body was nowhere to be found. I didn’t bother asking him about it.
He stepped into the cave, and the wet scent filled my senses. I kind of missed the deadly place. The jagged walls quickly passed with his stride until he entered a chamber. His glow reflected off gold within the cave. Piles and piles of it. I’d seen it in passing, but holy shit, I hadn’t expectedthis.
I blinked, taking it all in as he set me down.
“We can trade this for your comforts.” Jewels glinted various colors and intermingled with the gold. “Will this be sufficient, my lotus?”
“Y-yeah.” I cleared my throat. I dropped my gaze to a smear on his side. I gripped his arm and peered closer. “You’re bleeding.” The split wound leaked onyx. It looked painful.
“W-what happened?” I mumbled.Freaking out was counterproductive. I repeated the phrase to myself but my pulse didn’t slow. “Tene?” He didn’t say anything, and I couldn’t determine if he heard my question from the lack of reaction. Fine, he could keep his silence, but I needed to get him cleaned up.
Licking my lips, I grabbed his arm, but he didn’t even budge no matter how much I heaved.
“I need your help here,” I snapped. My tone seemed to jolt through him, and he followed. Honestly, I wasn’t doing more than wrapping myself around his arm as I guided him, but with him being a massive monster and all, I couldn’t do much.
Last time I’d seen the gold, it had been near the waterfall, so it couldn’t be far.
I scowled at him from the corner of my eye, irritated at his dragging pace.
The steady trickle of water echoed close by, and I stopped at the threshold. He yanked me to his chest, and my palm hit his lesion.
