Page 19 of To Crave Madly
I saw the fear cross his eyes right as darkness claimed my vision and the sound of manic laughter rang in my ears before the silence of unconsciousness dragged me under.
***
TORSTEN
The vampire leapt towards my Mistress as her eyes rolled back in her head, catching her before she fell out of the chair. Her demon was a feisty one and if Lori couldn’t reclaim control of her mind then she would be lost forever.
I had my own battle with my demon in my younger years, but I had been prepared for it. I was taught from a young age how to make my demon submit, how to make him bend to my will, and now we were a unified force. There were no clear lines as to where he ended and I began. We were of one mind and one body, and if Lori could not find that union between her and her Sin Reaper, then she would be lost to the demon.
But my Mistress could do this. She was strong and defiant and, when it mattered, I could tell she could do what needed to be done. I also wanted to keep my head where it was. Knowing Lucifer, this would be my fault and he would hold me personally responsible for losing Lori to her demon side. I couldn’t let that happen. Not if I wanted to keep living, anyway.
The vampire cradled my Mistress tenderly in his arms and I grimaced. What would my King think if he could see this? The vampire clearly had feelings for the girl, but I couldn’t tell whether that was a good or bad thing. My purpose was to protect Lori, and I had no qualms about removing the vampire if he proved to be a nuisance. In fact, I think I’d rather enjoy it.
The doctor, on the other hand, I hadn’t quite figured out. He seemed agreeable but I got the sense that there was something dark lurking beneath the surface of his pleasant demeanour. I would have to keep an eye on that one. He seemed far too interested in dissecting me and I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the way his eyes watched me like an experiment. If these were the people my Mistress surrounded herself with on a daily basis, I was surprised Lucifer would allow her to remain here. There were far too many unstable characters up here and I was almost looking forward to the prospect of exercising my more demonic side.
I was no saint. I was a warrior and enjoyed my place in this world. I was bred to serve, and I was good at it. I followed orders, I was obedient to the person I was bound to, and I would sacrifice myself in the blink of an eye if I thought it would save my Master. I would also kill without hesitation to protect those I served, whether I liked them or not.
This vampire would have to take care not to overstep or he might find himself the next name on my list.
“Lori?” he asked while patting her cheek gently. “Come back to me.”
I felt my brow furrow. “She will not be the one waking.”
The black eyes of the vampire met mine and his rage had my demon stirring towards the surface in response.
“You don’t know that!” He spat his words at me.
I shrugged my shoulder in response. I didn’t need to explain myself to him. If he wanted to fall into the pit of false hope, who was I to stop him? I knew the battle that Lori would face as she struggled to regain control and she was unprepared for it. I believed she had a fighting chance to win here, but it was going to take her some time to understand what was happening to her and she was going to need more than sheer dumb luck to survive.
Lori moved in the vampire’s arms and his attention immediately moved away from me. She stretched her limbs, arching her back like a cat. I had never really been moved by the female form, but I couldn’t deny her lines were pleasing. Her eyes snapped open and I knew immediately that my Mistress was no longer in the room.
“Hello, boys.” Her voice was soft. Sultry. It was a voice meant to entice.
“Lori?” Levi asked.
She rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck as she stood from the chair. “Oh. I’m sorry but Lori isn’t here right now.”
“Bring her back,” the vampire demanded gruffly. He clearly had no idea what was happening here, and he was going to piss off the Sin Reaper if he kept putting his fucking foot in his mouth. I knew how dangerous they could be, and I didn’t want to fight her unless I had to. Even if the thought of a good fight had my blood singing in my veins.
“What’s your name?” I asked, gaining her attention before the vampire could do any more damage.
“Such a gentleman,” she purred, sauntering towards me. Her eyes, normally dark and smouldering, were ablaze with the fire of her demon. “My, my, aren’t you an interesting creature? All anger and rage caged in your walls of steel.” She licked her lips. “I can taste your emotions. They simmer around you despite your attempts to keep them behind those walls you so painstakingly erect.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. She was trying to get under my skin, but I wasn’t going to let her. I had been against worse adversaries than this little thing before me and it was going to take more than a few coy words to ruffle my feathers.
“What’s your name, demon?” I asked again, trying to add a more commanding tone to my voice, but she chuckled softly at my attempt and her lips pulled back in a malicious grin. She cocked her head to one side as if listening to something. Perhaps Lori was trying to find her way back, or maybe she was just trying to figure me out.
“Hmm, you belong to her. I can sense it. You marked her…” She stopped right in front of me, her words trailing off as she looked down at the spot where the shadow mark sat beneath her skin. When her gaze found mine again, there was a malevolent gleam sparkling in their dark depths. A sudden shiver of unease trickled along my spine as she stared at me.
I could feel the steadfast gaze of the vampire and the doctor as they watched our interchange. I sensed they wanted to be involved but I wanted a chance to placate this creature first. The challenge of getting her to submit to me had adrenaline pumping through me and my heart rate spiking with excitement. I hadn’t had this much fun since the days of the Dark War.
“Give me your name,” I demanded, but still she just stood there and smiled.
It irritated me more than her coy words had done. I wanted to wrap my hand around her pretty little throat and squeeze the life out of her, but I couldn’t. And she knew that.
She stepped closer still, her body almost flush with mine. I could feel her chest brush mine with every breath she took.
“And what would you do with my name, Fiend?”
