Page 78 of Demons in My Bed
“Gods dammit, Palmer. Get in the car. It’s your birthday and I’m taking you out.”
In that moment, it was like the stars themselves twinkled brighter just to shine a light on how blind I’d been all these months. Slade didn’t look sexy to me right now. He looked pissed off, scary, unstable. And why? Because Hunter was my friend?
I didn’t move, my feet and eyes remained frozen to the sidewalk. I couldn’t even look at him right now.
His feet shuffled, and he took a step closer to me. I immediately moved back, putting myself against the wall again. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean those things. Can we please just go?” He sounded so sincere. So sorry for his behavior…
My heart was breaking, because I knew deep down that this was the real Slade. Everything was starting to become clear. “This isn’t working for me.” My voice was so soft, I wondered if I’d said the words out loud.
“What did you just say?”
The first tear fell. “I said that we’re over, Slade. I can’t do this with you.”
He reared back, almost as though I’d physically slapped him a second time.
“I’ll, uh, see you around.” I started walking away, rounding the corner to my building when I was whipped around and pressed against the rough bricks. My exposed shoulders and back scraped against the rough surface, and I yelped, opening my mouth to scream but a large hand was suddenly pressing against my lips, silencing me. My frantic gaze bounced around before landing on Slade’s enraged face.
“You don’t get to just walk away from me. I said I was sorry. You just— You make me so crazy. I see the way guys look at you, and all I want to do is gut them because you’re mine. You’ll always be mine!”
I shook my head, trying to get air into my nose, but I was in such a state of panic that my body wanted more oxygen than it was getting. My vision was blurring.
“I fucking love you, Palmer. I know you love me too. Don’t be scared of me, I’d never hurt you. Never.”
He removed his hand and replaced it with his mouth before I could get even a strangled cry for help out. I fought against his hold, not wanting his mouth on me. The taste of copper exploded on my tongue, and I remembered that he’d been bleeding.
“No,” I tried to say, but it came out more as a garbled groan.
“See? You do love me, Palmer.”
I did? Yes. I found myself nodding. “I love you, Slade.”
He cupped my cheek. “I’ve waited so long for you to say that.” I felt his cock press against my stomach. “I know you want me. I want you so bad it hurts me, Palmer. Tell me you want me, that you want to feel me. That you want me to be the only man to know what your body feels like.”
My brain felt fuzzy, almost like I was drunk. Then I realized he was using his magic… against me. To control me. I was desperate to get away, but this was so much stronger than the other time he’d shown me his affinity. I wanted to tell Slade that I wasn’t feeling well, but the second I opened my mouth, I was telling him how much I wanted him to be my first. That I’d bought lingerie especially for him, for tonight. His eyes lit up like the fireflies I used to catch in the backyard with my parents… before…
“You’re perfect. So perfect for me,” he praised, kissing me again. “Let’s skip dinner. I want to feel this sexy body against me and then, after I really mark you and make you mine, I’ll order some food. Come on, let’s go.” He slipped his hand in mine and led me to the car.
I didn’t fight. I didn’t want to fight. All I wanted was whatever he wanted. He was happy and so was I.
Tears were running down my cheeks as I came back to reality. My body shivered. I was just so fucking exhausted. That was the first time Slade had used his affinity on me. He took great pleasure in me doing whatever he wanted, saying whatever he wanted to hear.
There were times though, where he’d imagine some slight against him, and he’d think I needed to be punished. Slade’s favorite punishment was tying me up and leaving me in dark rooms for hours on end, not knowing when or if he would return.
There were two things that triggered me like a hit of adrenaline straight to the vein. Having my mental state altered against my will, and being restrained and abandoned. The panic was ingrained.
That had been the worst part about being Slade’s zombie. There was always an undercurrent of awareness, this little voice beneath all of the bullshit reminding me that the things I was doing and saying weren’t me. That I was being used. Abused. Raped.
So it was no wonder I had a traumatic flashback after being tied to this damn cross and left completely alone.
Or so I thought.
“Bad past, huh?” my new sidekick ghost asked, his form coming into full view as he got closer.
I sniffled. “How could you tell?”
He chuckled, and for the first time, I noticed his hair was deep mahogany. I bet when he was alive, it would’ve been the prettiest deep red in the sunlight.
“Been there, done that. You’re okay now. Wherever you were in your mind, that’s not reality.” He was so matter-of-fact about it that I felt myself taking a deep breath, giving my body the precious oxygen it needed to chill the fuck out.
