Chapter Thirty-Three #2
Back when Ashley and Jackson started dating, simply put, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
They were never overly affectionate in public, but they did start randomly excusing themselves to do errands in a room with the door closed.
It was obvious that they were hooking up, but I never called them out on it.
I thought that was good best friend etiquette.
One time, the three of us saw a movie, and Jackson said he was going to the bathroom, and gave Ashley the most obvious look. She excused herself a few minutes later, then they conveniently both came back at the same time. It gives me an idea.
“We should pretend to make out in a bathroom,” I say.
He grins. “I’m in.”
Drinks in hand, we rejoin the party. Ashley messages me back:
Fun!!! Okay, longing stares, lingering touches, etc. YOU WANT TENSION! Oh btw I’m reading this book at the moment that you have to read! It’s about two wizards who hate each other then one accidentally drinks a love potion and chaos ensues. You’ll love it.
I pocket my phone. It’s good advice, and I will read that book. But I’ve got a plan.
We join a conversation that includes Adam and Tyrell. They’re talking about a Netflix documentary I haven’t watched yet, so I’m content listening. A few times, I catch Adam looking in our direction. I try not to make it obvious, but I stand a little closer to Zarmenus than I need to.
When there’s a lull in the conversation, I decide to make my move.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” I say, and I do my best to copy Jackson’s obvious look.
It does turn a few heads as I go to the bathroom.
I go inside, closing the door but not locking it, then I pace around in a circle.
This confidence feels good, yes, but now it’s like the ground is shaky underneath me.
Have I overshot? Am I really the kind of guy who does this?
A soft knock sounds on the door. I pull it open an inch, and find Zarmenus standing outside.
I let him in, closing the door behind him.
“Well,” he says. “What now?”
“Let’s wait,” I say. “They’ll get the message.”
“I think someone might’ve followed us. We need to be a little more convincing.”
“How?”
Zarmenus walks over to the door, and then slams his back into it. I get what he’s going for. It sounded like we crashed into it together. I go closer to him, and hit the door with my palm.
“Yeah,” I say. “Keep doing that.”
The shock on Zarmenus’s face kind of makes my life.
“Who are you?” he whispers.
“I’m not losing my internship because of Adam. So come on, let’s sell this.”
“With pleasure.”
He takes hold of my shirt, and spins me around.
He pushes me against the door, for real this time.
My shirt is bunched up in his palms. It’s pulled up, exposing some skin.
I feel breathless, dizzy, and completely out of control.
His chest is heaving, and there’s an undeniable energy between us.
I want him to kiss me. I want this to be real.
His gem flashes, and I start to smell smoke. Flames appear on his hands. I jump away, swatting at the flames on my chest. They die down, but they’ve left two black scorch marks on my shirt. I check my skin, and I haven’t been burned.
“What was that?” I ask.
A bloodred blush creeps up his neck, staining his cheeks.
Is Zarmenus blushing?
“Sorry,” he stammers. “I lost control.”
“Don’t be,” I say, surveying the damage in the mirror. “This is good. It sells it.”
“You sure?”
I leave the bathroom and stop in my tracks. Two guys are standing outside, filming us with their phones.
“Smile,” says one of them.
“Delete it,” says Zarmenus, his voice dark. The two boys stop smiling and lift their phones to delete their videos.
“Show me,” he says.
They show him their screens. Once that’s done, we go down the hall.
“You okay?” I ask.
“I can’t believe they were filming us,” he says. “They’re supposed to be my friends.”
People turn to look at my ruined shirt as I pass them.
As we reach the entrance hall, Adam steps into my path.
“Where are you going?”
“Home,” I say. “Zarmenus burned my shirt.”
He narrows his eyes. “Why?”
“It was an accident.”
“I got carried away while we were making out,” says Zarmenus. “It happens.”
“Does it?” he asks. “Or are you trying to convince everyone you’re really dating? I was talking to your friend, Owen, and he’s as suspicious as I am.”
Wait, really? If Tyrell is suspicious of us, he hasn’t mentioned it to me. A new fear creeps in: What if he’s slowly building his story, ready to drop a bombshell and expose us at any moment?
“What’s your problem, man?” asks Zarmenus. “Why are you giving Owen so much shit?”
“Because,” he says. “I know how to smell a rat.”
The ruby pendant on Zarmenus’s necklace flashes, and all the lights in the room go off, plunging us into darkness. The party comes to a screeching halt.
My eyes start to adjust as people turn on the flashlights on their phones.
“Zar,” says Adam, clicking his fingers at Zarmenus. “Was this you? Zar? This is my house. Turn the lights back on right now, that’s an order!”
Before me, Zarmenus starts to change. He grows taller and more muscular, and his shirt burns away.
A pair of black horns appears on his forehead, their ends pointed and sharp, as a set of enormous pair of bat-like wings emerges from his back.
His skin turns a fiery shade of red, and his eyes become the true color of fire, so bright they’re impossible to look at.
When the transformation is complete, the being standing before me is so tall he nearly reaches the ceiling.
It’s his true form.
He’s more than slightly terrifying. But the thing that surprises me the most is how he still looks like himself. His facial features are the same, and his hair has barely changed. The Zarmenus I know is still easily identifiable.
And this might be weird to think, but he’s kind of hot.
“Adam,” says Zarmenus. His voice is different, deeper and with an echo. He steps forward, and Adam begins to cower. “If you say one more word to Owen, I will end you. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” says Adam, his voice shaking. He drops to his knees and starts to beg. “I promise. Please don’t hurt me.”
“That goes for the rest of you, too,” says Zarmenus, locking eyes with Tyrell for a moment. “Owen is my boyfriend. Either accept that, or have me as your enemy.”
Somewhere at the back of the party, a man screams. Then the party goes deathly silent.
Zarmenus looks down at me. “Let’s get out of here.”
He offers me a hand, which has transformed into a claw, the blackened skin reminding me of the surface of hardened lava.
I take hold, and he pulls me to my feet with such force I stagger and crash into his bare chest. His skin is burning hot, and if I’m being honest I’m going to have to do some serious thinking about how strangely turned on I am right now.
“Sorry,” he says, taking a step away from me. “Do you want to leave?”
“I really do.”
He has to bend over and tuck his wings in to get through the front door. We go out onto the front lawn.
“Well,” he says, “you finally get to see what I really look like. What do you think?”
He stretches his wings out, and turns from side to side, showing me every angle of his true form. Now that I’ve adjusted, I can’t get over how incredible he looks. His skin isn’t an even shade of red; up close you can see veins of brilliant orange running over his entire body.
“You’re the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” I say.
He smiles. It’s so funny, but even looking like this, he’s still just Zarmenus. Maybe I should be afraid, but I’m not.
“I don’t scare you?” he asks.
“Nope,” I say. “Do you want to scare me?”
“Maybe a little.”
“Ugh, fine, you are kind of scary.”
“You’re just saying that,” he says, still smiling. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a hard man to impress?”
“Just you.”
I remember the promise he made his parents. Is he going to get in trouble because of this? I know we were filmed while we were in the bathroom, and cameras tend to follow Zarmenus wherever he goes, so there’s a good chance his transformation was caught on camera. I doubt his parents will love that.
“I think I’m done being friends with them,” he says.
“Truth be told, I only started hanging out with them because my parents told me I should get to know important humans. But they always made me feel like I was being used or like I was a sideshow freak. I had a lot more fun at that game night. Do you think I could join next time?”
“Of course,” I say. “They all loved you.”
“You know,” he says. He cracks his neck and flexes his wings. “I could fly us back to Clark. I’m transformed already, the damage is done.”
He smiles wider, showing off his teeth. They’re mostly normal, but his incisors are now pointed like fangs. “I promise I won’t drop you.”
“I’m good,” I say, taking a step away from him. I’m not a huge fan of heights. Then I remember that new experiences are part of why college is such a cherished time in so many people’s lives. And how many people can say they’ve been carried by a demon?
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” he says.
“You better not drop me.”
I can’t believe I’m doing this. I go up to him and turn around so he can loop his arms under mine.
His skin feels decadently warm, and I’m all too aware that he’s not wearing a shirt.
He smells like fire and heat, reminding me of standing close to a bonfire.
He’s so much stronger than me, but I know without a doubt that I’m safe.
“Ready?” he asks.
Before I can answer, he shoots up into the air faster than any ride I’ve ever been on.
I start screaming.