Page 21 of Demon Queen
I blinked. I was straddling him come to think of it. On top of him. Because I’d been killing him, but he didn’t mind. No, he liked it! I rolled off him and grabbed my bag, scowling at him while I edged towards the stairs. “In that case, I’m getting away from you!”
I turned, but his tail whipped around my waist, pulling me back to him, towards the couch. I squeaked and shoved on the tail, struggling, but it wasn’t going anywhere. And he was looking at me like I was the most amusing mouse he’d ever played with.
I stiffened up, clinging to my bag while my heart tried to beat its way out of my chest, up the stairs, far away from him, the greatest danger in my existence.
“What are you doing?”
He raised a brow. “I can’t have you running into another demon who will doubtless want to rip you apart with his affection.”
“You’re the only one allowed to rip me apart?” I scowled at the monster who dared look so delighted with my vicious attack. “That doesn’t work for me. I have to go home. Now! You aren’t locking me up in your cave, however cozy it is. I have a business to run.” Also screaming into my pillow to do. Also not being here. That most of all.
He flashed his teeth in a terrifying smile. “Then we have an agreement. I will stay with you during the day while you run your shop, and you will stay here with me at night while I run mine.”
I bared my teeth at him. “That’s not my agreement! What are you even talking about? You can’t destroy my life and my heart and then say that you’re possessive of me. It doesn’t work thatway. I loved you! You chased me away. I’m not going to love you again. You don’t get to make me love you and then throw me away and then do it all over again. The rings…” I sputtered eloquently for a few beats while he studied me, flickering with glowing bits of magma over his skin before it dimmed.
His eyes were roaring, exactly like the fire behind us. He was controlling it, like he was a demon or something. The raging fire in his eyes didn’t match the smooth silky voice. “You’re right, of course. It’s absolutely unforgiveable for me to say something that ludicrous. And yet here we are. You are not safe without me to protect you, and I must insist on your safety.”
I scoffed at him. “Are you kidding me right now? My safety? You’re concerned with my safety and that’s why you throw away a human so stupidly in love with you? I could barely breathe for a year after I left! Do you want to see my scars? I used to try to die every few months. I got a handle on it in the last few years. I controlled my environment, eliminated the triggers, and had a mostly peaceful existence until you…”
He stood, towering over me. “You tried to die? What do you mean?”
I took a step back from the truly dangerous monster whose eyes flared red and black as he tugged me closer to me with his tail and the fire roared its echo. I hadn’t meant to talk about my self-destructive tendencies. Anyway, those were mostly revolving around Wilkie. We weren’t talking about my baby. Every time I had hope, but it was dashed to pieces, I struggled. But what was life if not a struggle? “I worked myself to death. Why else would my business be doing so well? I’m not naturally talented at making money, but I did fairly well considering.”
He bared his teeth at me, revealing fierce fangs. “Show me your scars.” He tugged me closer with his tail until I could feel his body heat and had to crane my neck to look up at him.
I stuck out my chin, clinging to my bag, the only thing between us. “It wasn’t an offer, just a question. You don’t get to see my scars.” I jabbed his chest. “You don’t get to see anything. You lost that right when you made me love you, knowing that it wasn’t ever real, because you were a demon!”
His gaze softened slightly as he slid his hand over my cheek, sending ripples of aching through me. I’d loved him so much. So stupidly. “Sweet Cherry Candy, I have lived the most miserable existence possible since you left. The only thing that made it bearable was knowing that you could have a life without the burden of my nature. I only encouraged you to leave in an effort to protect you from the demons and their growing fascination with you. I am the first demon I protected you from. You don’t understand possession, but you will, because you came here, triggered my king spikes, and became the treasure any demon would die for. Kill for.” He knelt down in front of me, tail still wrapped around me, keeping me from sprinting up the stairs. I couldn’t listen to this, listen to him. He was a demon. Manipulation was an art that he’d mastered four hundred years ago, and I’d been so happy with him right up until he broke me. “Candy,” he murmured, his eyes burning at me steadily like the flames behind him. “I am bound to you with the most sincere feelings a demon can have.”
I snorted. I’d almost been in the moment until he used that word. “Sincere? A demon? How stupid do you think I am? I owe you money, not my life. If I want to put myself in danger,” which I absolutely didn’t, particularly with demons. “That’s my business. Paying back the money I stole, also part of my business, but being your little pet on a leash? No. Absolutely not.”
He gave me a very slight smile, like my protests were cute. “Then I will be your pet. You can use any leash you like. You canfeed me, pet me, make me do tricks…” His eyes gleamed and I had a visceral memory of his tricks.
I slapped him as hard as I could. The sound of flesh meeting bone left my hand throbbing. Ow. His cheekbones had actually cut me.
He growled and took my hand, frowning at the small gash. “Places you’re allowed to hit me include my neck, my body, my arms, and legs, but not my spikes, or my face. I have a very sharp face.” He bent his head and licked my blood, purring while I stood there, hand throbbing until it was all better.
He raised his head, smiling as sweetly as you could with fangs. “Now that we’ve got the violent protests out of the way, we can settle into the new normal. As long as I have spikes, you will be at risk. I won’t allow harm to come to you.”
He wouldn’t allow? I shook myself awake from the spell of his tongue on my skin. And the shock of connection when I’d cut myself on him. “Let’s saw off your spikes. I have a blade on my Swiss army knife in my bag that will work perfectly.” I rummaged into my bag and pulled out the little red knife.
He stared at me while his eyes flickered brighter along with the fire. They were definitely linked. “You are welcome to touch my spikes as long as you are very careful. I would like that very much.”
Seriously? He didn’t take me seriously. That was the problem. I mean, if I was him, I probably wouldn’t take the soft little human seriously either. “Oh, baby. Does mutilation make you hot? I could carve you up all day.” Could I though? I’d already attacked him, with a toothpick and my teeth. The knife was a huge improvement, but the blade seemed so small compared to him. I wanted to scream and rage, to fight, but he was a demon, and he had all the cards.
Exhibit A: Personal strength. I couldn’t physically overpower him, even if I had something awesome like a chainsaw.
Exhibit B: Diabolical cleverness. He could play me in ways I’d never see coming because I was a human. I was so human that I’d felt guilty the second I’d slapped him.
Exhibit C: Inhuman attractiveness. His tongue on my palm was still sending little shockers of happiness through me. He felt right against my skin and tasted like maple syrup. Who can fight against waffles? No one.
I lowered the knife. “I’m not touching your spikes. And you aren’t touching me. If you can’t respect that, I’ll make a point of being as careless with my safety as possible. One fall off the balcony onto my head would be enough to end me. Or I could refuse to eat and starve to death. Or I could get a cut that got infected and die. There are literally infinite ways for me to die.” I shrugged. “I mean, I’m human. I could die for absolutely no reason at all. If you want my help keeping me ‘safe,’ you’ll keep your distance. Well? Do we have a deal?”
His eyes grew darker and darker while the fire was low, almost banked. His eyes were so dark, desolate, terrifying. Slowly, his tail slithered off my waist and he took two steps back, leaving me feeling lonely and shivery. My heart was still beating too fast.
His charming smile didn’t make me relax for some reason. “Of course. I would never touch you unwillingly.”
I glared at him, then at his tail, then at him. “Excuse me?”
