Chapter 6
Agnes
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
The sound jolted me awake, my eyes snapping open in the dim light of the cozy Swiss chalet. I wondered how long we'd been asleep, but all I could see out the windows was snow. The sun was up, but it was obscured by the storm clouds.
The crunching noise that had woken me continued.
I blinked away the fog of sleep and noticed the bed was missing one gigantic demon who’d hogged the mattress for most of our nap. My gaze darted around the room, finally landing on Touji sitting up against the headboard, a knowing smirk playing on his lips as he stared at something across the room.
I followed his line of sight, my breath catching as I saw the silhouette of Zan's back and shoulders illuminated by the soft orange glow of the wood stove. His curled horns cast ominous shadows on the walls, reminding me that as silly as he seemed, he was a demon — a dangerous magical creature capable of harnessing enormous power.
"Enjoying the local cuisine, Zan?" Touji's smooth voice broke the silence, amusement clear in his tone.
Zan's massive frame jolted, and I had to stifle a giggle as the big bad demon fumbled with something — a crinkly bag of chips. He spun to face us, those strange yellow eyes wide with surprise.
“Doritos?” I asked, pointing at his orange fingers.
"What? I, uh..." Zan's deep voice trailed off as he smiled, caught in the act. "You were right about these. Far superior to that canned atrocity you call meat. They’re addicting."
“It’s the powdered cheese dust,” Touji said.
This ancient, powerful being looked so endearingly flustered over a bag of Doritos. My fingers itched to reach out and trace his muscular arms, but I held back, reminding myself that seducing demons was not the wisest course of action.
Zan crunched another chip, defiant now. "I must do what I can to survive. Though I'm still very much a carnivore in normal situations."
Touji reached for the bag, and Zan growled, cuddling it close, making both of us laugh, especially when Zan upended the bag, and dumped the rest of the chips into his open mouth. As I watched him chew his salty snack, I couldn't help but wonder what else he might enjoy about the modern world.
I stood up, stretching the soreness of our adventure out of my muscles. "I’m glad you’re enjoying your first junk food binge. There’s so much for you to learn about the modern world. You might as well start with the good snacks."
A mischievous grin spread across Zan's face, his sharp teeth glinting in the firelight. "Mock me all you want, little witch. I'll have you know I was quite the connoisseur of human delicacies in my day."
I snorted, surprised at how comfortable I felt bantering with this towering demon. Maybe it was the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he laughed, or how his tail swished playfully behind him. Or the way that same tail had curled around me, warming me when I thought I might freeze in the storm.
"And what other 'delights' were you planning on sampling tonight?"
Zan's grin turned wicked. "Well, it was raid your snack stash or wake my two gorgeous companions with a little... seduction." He waggled his eyebrows.
From the bed, Touji let out an undignified snort. "I can't imagine your seduction techniques would be effective, Zangraxath, the Destroyer of Virginity."
I watched, mesmerized, as Zan's eyes narrowed dangerously. Without a word, he set down the chip bag and stretched, muscles rippling beneath his dark skin. My mouth went dry as he flexed, showing off every hard plane of his body. Even in the dim light of our little chalet, I could feel the heat radiating off him, and a strange pull drew me towards him.
Touji, seemingly unaffected, simply shook his head and stood. "I'm going to use the bathroom," he announced, padding across the room. "Try not to destroy anything while I'm gone. Especially not virgins."
As soon as Touji was out of earshot, Zan leaned in close, his breath hot against my ear. "Fuck, Agnes. Between your beautiful face and body and that sexy dom thing that Touji has, I'm so horny I can barely think."
I blinked at the bathroom door. Was Zan a sexy dom? He was controlling, for sure. And a little bossy. “I’m not sure he’s a dom.”
“He is.” He pulled back, yellow eyes gleaming with mischief. "Speaking of being horny, where were all the virgins ready to fuck me when I woke up? Normally, there are some willing sacrifices."
I couldn't help but laugh at his indignant expression. "Sorry to burst your bubble, big guy, but that's not really how things work anymore. These days, virgins get to decide for themselves who they want to fuck."
Zan's jaw dropped comically. "You're kidding, right? Devirginizing is my specialty, and I… they want to be there!" He looked so genuinely offended that I had to bite my lip to keep from giggling. “Are you a virgin?”
“Fuck no,” I said, laughing. “I’m 26 and have a healthy sex life. At least until my date for Halloween stood me up.”
“Healthy sex life. So things have gotten more liberal while I was sleeping?”
“Yes. Birth control was invented — all I have to do is get a shot once a month, and nothing will get me pregnant.”
“Finding a woman who can get pregnant by me is about as unlikely as flying to the moon.”
“We did that. A while ago, actually.”
“Right, well, you know what I mean. Demons don’t reproduce easily. But it’s nice to know that when Touji fucks you, he won’t have to worry about reproducing, either. Too bad I didn’t get to devirginize you, though. I do love introducing beautiful women to the pleasures of the flesh.”
"'Devirginize' isn't even a word," I said, raising an eyebrow. “And how do you know I’d want to fuck you guys?”
"Oh, come on," he pouted, his tail swishing behind him like an annoyed cat. "You can't deny I'm attractive. I saw the way you were looking at me earlier. And Touji is gorgeous. Imagine how alluring the two of you will look together."
Heat rushed to my cheeks, but I refused to back down. "I wasn't looking at you like that. I was just... admiring the, uh, attention you’ve paid to your physique."
Zan's lips curved into a smug smile. "Uh-huh. Sure. Keep telling yourself that, Agnes. You and Touji couldn’t resist me if you tried."
With a soft click of the bathroom door, Touji stepped back into the room, his black hair mussed and sexy as he stalked with feline grace towards Zan.
Without a word, Touji plucked the bag of chips from Zan's hand, his eyes never leaving the demon's face. "Do you really think I can't resist your charms, Zan?"
I felt like I was intruding on an intimate moment, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. Zan's cocky demeanor faltered for a split second, his yellow eyes widening in surprise.
"I, uh..." Zan stammered, clearly thrown off balance by Touji's sudden proximity.
Touji leaned in closer, his thumb brushing along Zan's full bottom lip. The demon's breath hitched audibly, and I swear I could feel the tension crackling in the air between them.
"You think you're so irresistible," Touji said, his fingers tracing the square shape of Zan's jaw. "But it's almost too easy to resist a demon like you."
Touji's eyes flicked to me, a hint of amusement in their depths. "What do you think, Agnes? Is our demon friend as alluring as he claims?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. My brain had short-circuited, overwhelmed by the scene unfolding before me and the sudden realization that I was incredibly, embarrassingly turned on.
My mouth had gone dry, and words would not come. "I... uh..."
Smooth, Agnes. Real smooth.
Touji's lips curved into a wicked smirk as he maintained his intimate position with Zan. The demon's chest was heaving, his yellow eyes practically glowing with desire.
Touji's hand slid down Zan's neck, resting on his chest. "No pressure. But you can help me make him come undone if you like."
"Wasn't the plan to tease me and prove you didn't want me?" Zan asked.
Touji blinked, then shrugged. "Can't be helped, I suppose."