Page 6 of The Demon's Due
The craving folded into an unending obsession. He imagined her body arching beneath him for real, not just under his spectral touch. He would test her, break her open, claim her utterly. He would lock her up-the only one in his harem. Just her.
The portal sealed behind him, the threads of his bondage snapping one by one. His hunger drove him forward, seeking avessel, a tether to hold him in this cursed world before he was forced back.
Never!
He would rather cease to exist than face that limbo again.
And then-there he was.
The wolf-blooded mortal eying the one who was his.
He plunged into him, sliding deep into marrow and sinew. The runes etched into the boy’s blood flared, walls long locked crumbling under his power. Something long imprisoned stirred within, roaring free.
The demon laughed, jagged and low.
Ahh. The wolf.
A mighty sable beast tore loose, no longer shackled. Power surged as the beast’s howl rattled through bone and soul. An endless well of nourishment, a source to gorge upon. The perfect cage to house him, to fuel him, to hunt for her until he could shed this shell and take his throne back.
He curled inside the wolf-blood’s chest, his talons sunk deep into both spirit and beast.
“Mine,” he whispered in his host’s mind, tasting the word, savoring the promise as emerald-green eyes looked down at his host with worry.
And within the husk, the demon’s words rattled-content, for now.
“Yes. Yes. Until I am ready.”
The demon slid inside, deep into the mortal shell.
And slept.
And like a whisper, he sensed the wolfborn say,”Mate”
Chapter 5
Morgan’s body bucked, his mouth filling with teeth far too large for his human jaw. Blood pooled at the corners of his lips as he forced the words through shredded gums. A vice-like grip bit into Síofra’s arm when she tried to backpedal away from him.
“Help me… get me out…”
Síofra’s fingers closed around his arm. His skin burned under her touch, fever-hot, his pulse like a war drum. She dragged him, stumbling,towards the ancient hall’s back doors.
“The woodland,” he rasped, eyes flashing molten gold. “Behind the library. Hurry…”
Rand brought up the rear, worry etched into his thin face. He reached out to steady Morgan only to be rewarded with a snarl, a guttural, feral sound that vibrated through the air like the warning of a predator.
“Get away from me,” Morgan growled, his voice morphing into something more animal than human.
Debbie’s shrill voice cut across the chaos. “Morgan, what..?”
“Don’t touch,” he snapped, baring razor-sharp teeth ready to take a chunk off anyone who dared to come close…anyone but Síofra. Then his gaze snapped back to her as she struggled to drag his much larger frame, “Don’t let go.Please”
She tightened her sweaty grip. His brawny arm swung over her shoulder weighed a ton. “What’s happening?”
She was terrified, but weirdly comforted by his touch. Sparks travelled up and down every point of contact.
His breath came ragged, his chest heaving. He hugged her close, his lips at her ear, whispering like a confession. “He’s coming… Síofra…don’t run from him. No matter what.Don’t run.”
By the time they reached the clearing, the moon was high and full, silver bleeding across the treetops. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as Morgan dropped to his hands and knees, his body contorting at unnatural angles.
