7. Gracie
Chapter 7
Gracie
~2 weeks later~
"Stop staring at me!" I snapped at Valphan after whipping my head at him.
Seeing his stupid, smug-ass, lovey-dovey smile turned the heat up under my already boiling pot.
"And rob myself of such a beautiful sight? I think not." He remarked with an amused chuckle, leaning back on his hands. "Besides, what are you going to do about it? Hm? Make me go back into the closet? Shut the doors? Put up the pathetic screen between us?"
Okay, now I wanted to march over from my desk and slap him across the face for being a smartass. "Go find a different mate! I never agreed to be your mate in the first place, and if that's your only reason for sticking around because of some destined relationship between us, then sorry to break it to you, buddy, but that's not how that shit happens." Yeah, I'd really like to have a conversation with the man in the sky about this issue right about now.
Hey, God, can I get a fucking refund for something I didn't order? Thanks.
Granted, I'd put it in kinder words, but it'd be something along those lines.
Straightening his legs past the closet entryway, he wiggled his clawed feet back and forth. "That's not how it works, little blessing. We were lucky enough to be destined the moment we were created. One does not 'choose' a mate, not like those silly stories of yours about the werewolves and stuff." His voice held no contempt toward me for my spiteful words, making me feel a little bad for snapping at him.
"It will come to you with time. But I won't rely solely on our mate bond to have you fall for me." I hated how confident he sounded with his grind. "As from the messages I have seen from the human males of this day and age, I got the rizz."
Now, I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself alive from the secondhand embarrassment. Unable to face the embarrassment lounging on the floor a few feet from me, I buried my face into my hands and let out a groan. "No, please don't ever say that ever again. Do not try to use any slang you see, just, don't." Boarding up the closet didn't seem like a bad idea now.
"Why? You respond well to those stupid messages on your phone from those men?" And now I've pissed off the confused demon, just great.
Letting out another long groan, I rubbed at my aching temples. "You know, I'm not even going to get into it with you going through my phone right now because I do not have the time or the energy." I didn't bother looking at him when I spoke because I was just done with him right now. "Just… Leave me alone. I have a deadline I have to meet that I'm behind on."
I was not in the mood to edit right now, but I—
And leave it to Valphan's disdain to interrupt my train of thought. "Well, if you didn't waste your precious hours on those stupid men vying for attention who were obviously incompatible with you."
And there goes the boiling pot.
Sucking in a deep breath, I slowly turned my chair around to face him with a saccharine smile. "Is that jealousy I hear? That's not very befitting for such a high demon prince like you to be jealous of a mere human." Instead of explosive anger, I was seething and calm as I spoke to him. Those also weren't the words I wanted to throw at him either, but it would seem that I'd be procrastinating tonight. "Though, you've no one to blame for the icky green-eyed monster besides yourself."
Serves him right for going through my phone behind my back.
Scoffing, Valphan sat up straight and crossed his arms with a scowl on his face. "Well, I wouldn't be so offended if you didn't waste your time with trash like them. I mean, seriously? The man is forty and has no job or ambitions in life. Also, why on God's green earth are you going out with someone nearly twice your age who is literally going to go nowhere in life? Hm?"
"Oh, as if I'm better off with your ancient ass," I grumbled sardonically with a roll of my eyes.
"Excuse you?" Valphan snapped back with a mock offense.
"No, excuse you." I snarked, glaring at him softly. "I am nearly thirty, and he was only thirty-five." I corrected him with some sass and a scowl of my own. "And it's none of your business who I choose to entertain."
"It is very much my business because you are mine, so the only person you should be giving your attention and time to is me." Okay, maybe this little jealousy thing on him was kind of cute with how his face pouted with his glaring gray eyes. Annoying but slightly cute, just very slightly.
Crossing my arms, I leaned back in my seat with my legs crossed. "Oh, and like you're any better? Last I checked, you're an unemployed demon who lives in my closet." I quipped back with a smug smirk.
"Nah ah, correction cupcake, I am trapped in your closet. I do not choose to live in this place, but even if I did, it wouldn't be in a closet." Then, his face twisted with a cocky grin, baring his sharp teeth at me. "I'd be right in your bed next to you."
Letting out a frustrated scoff, I grabbed the first thing within reach—a spare pillow on my bed—and chucked it at Valphan with a grunt. "I will kick you to the floor," I grumbled with a soft glare.
Valphan's eyes sparkled with joy as he threw his head back in a hearty laugh. Then, with swift reflexes, he caught the large pillow before it could hit his face and held it close to his chest, sporting a wide smile on his lips. Stuffing his face into the soft surface, he rubbed into it while inhaling deeply—like I could literally hear him sniff my pillow!
Keeping his face obscured by the pillow, he spoke up. "Well, if I can have a pillow, then I'll be more than happy to sleep beside you like your mangy mutt." I barely made out his words because they were so muffled.
"You are so weird," I commented with a roll of my eyes as I watched Valphan snuggle the shit out of my pillow like a dog losing itself with its favorite blanket or bed.
Popping his head back up, he grins at me goofily as if he just smoked a whole bag of weed. "You smell sweet and homey, like burning firewood and caramel."
Okay, creepy and a little weird, a little specific, but I couldn't argue with him because it was kind of sweet with how much attention he paid. "W-well, I don't want it back now after you've got your demon cooties all over it, so it's yours now." Also, he seemed a little too happy, and as much as I wanted to punch him in the gut, I couldn't bring myself to ruin his little moment right now.
"Will you leave me alone to work if I let you keep the dang pillow?" I asked in a low voice while slowly turning back around to face my desk.
Keeping the overjoyed grin on his face, he curled up on the floor with the pillow tightly in his arms. "Yes, I will be content with watching you work in silence if that is what you need." Using his thin, pointed tail, he fetched one of the many blankets stored in my closet to lay over himself.
"Do you have to watch me?" I grumbled with a soft huff, doing my best to focus on the manuscript on the screen before me.
Nothing stuck, no matter how hard I tried to read the endless lines of text. Words came up off the screen and bounced right off me like rain to an umbrella. The pair of beady gray eyes out of my periphery weren't helping by any means—damn psycho demon.
"Is something the matter?" Does he ever shut up? "You've been staring at the same thing for longer than usual. Is it that bad?" If he wasn't stuck to an area around the closet, I'm pretty sure he'd be right over my shoulder right now like a petulant child.
Well, he may as well be with his damn shadow hands!
"Would you…!" Seething under my breath, I slapped at the annoying shadow replica of his hands that rested on my shoulders. "Quit touching me."
Pouting and whining softly, he sat up straight. "But you're tense. You need a good rub to relax." Wiggling the hands in the air didn't help the whole creepy vibe. Like, okay, maybe in a strange way, it was cute, and if I were in a better mood and in good standing with Valphan, then I'd tease him about it. But not when I was annoyed as hell with him.
"Touch me, and I will move to my living room to finish working," I threatened in a flat voice, staring my stern face at him to emphasize the seriousness of my threat.
Yeah, that got him to pull his shadow hands back into the closet. "No, stay. I won't touch you, promise." The kicked-puppy look on his demonic face should be illegal. Not because it was horrendous or anything. He looked too damn adorable to stay upset at.
He seriously made me feel like a villain with how dejected he looked over the next hour as I attempted to work again. It was bad enough that I almost caved and apologized to him. Too bad I was too stubborn and petty.
Begrudgingly, I gave out a displeased mutter before spinning my chair around a few times to try and release my stubborn knot before snapping my head over to Valphan. Cute idiot sat there staring at me with stars in his eyes, being so freaking patient like some saint. "My shoulders feel a little tight… Can you get the knots out?" I relented after a moment of struggling to get my words out. "Just quit looking like I killed your puppy," I muttered.
"Well, if that's all it takes, then I will forever look like this to get your sympathy." I wanted to wipe the wide grin off his face and take my words back, but it was too late now.
Well, I couldn't complain about the result. "Oh God, yes." Sighs and moans of pure pleasure heated my room up as I slumped back into my chair.
Valphan's face twisted in annoyance as he begged, "Don't say his name like that." Running a hand down his face, he let out a low, scoffing groaning. "Actually, don't ever say his name in any kind of way that has to do with pleasure. Seriously, what is up with you humans and moaning his name in vain like that during the worst moments?"
"What? You prefer I say yours?" I teased with a smug chuckle.
"It would be the best thing to ever grace my ears besides your voice, that would put lust demons to shame." Damn sweet talker. Something like that shouldn't sound as alluring as it did, but I couldn't help the heat from flooding my cheeks while my chest swelled with pride. "Your voice really is something else, my little blessing. Even the best choruses of angels would be nothing in your shadow. I would pick you over the sounds of the tormented souls any day, too."
"Uhh, thanks…?" Was that last part supposed to be a compliment? I mean, I know my voice wasn't the best or worst around, but being compared to tortured souls did not feel much like a good thing.
Probably sensing my confusion and discomfort, Valphan chuckled amusingly at me. "It is a good thing when it comes from a demon who can get off on the screams of suffering souls in the fields of punishment."
As if that made it all any better!
Rolling my eyes, I let out a drawn-out sigh as I let my head lull over his direction, connecting my lazy gaze with him. "Can't you make some kind of sweeter comparison? You were doing so well until the tortured souls part." I remarked with a breathy sneer.
"Aww, does my little pink princess like compliments and praises?" Valphan's voice softened and rose in pitch with his teasing words as he leaned his grinning face a little out of the closet.
"Oh, just hush and go back to rubbing my shoulders, Val."
"Whatever my little blessing wants."