32
Darya’s training sessions are getting tougher, but days pass without me being any closer to beating him. Sometimes, I feel like I might succeed, but in the end, I always wind up in the dust.
Days turn into nights. I try to nestle myself at the very edge of the bed, but I always wake up with Darya holding me. For a few nights, I resist. Then I give in. His warmth is comforting. I’m not alone. I don’t know when the last time was that I didn’t feel alone.
The next day, he beats me again and again on the training ground.
After the hand-to-hand combat training, I usually find myself in the mirror garden, trying to figure out what to do. Pandora refuses to talk to me; the white smoke swirling in the glass floating lifelessly.
Every day, I decide to drink Darya’s blood, hoping I’ll get to meet Lavian with the help of the celestial orbs, but two weeks have passed, and every morning I just stare at them.
I don’t know what will happen if I ever do see Lavian again.
I don’t know what I want. Darya doesn’t help either, and clearly, neither does his blood, but there’s something liberating about it.
Each morning, I return to my boring, moral self.
The Demon King didn’t lie. No matter how much I climb on him and no matter how his eyes turn black, we never go any further.
He makes me beg shamelessly once he’s brought me to orgasm, but after two weeks, I feel it’s not enough.
I want more. Yet, I’m still glad for Darya’s promise not to sleep with me while I’m under the influence of his blood.
A small part of me seeks his blood every night as a safeguard.
“Purple or blue?” I ask Nárs, who thinks deeply while wearing a stern expression. He showed up an hour ago with a suitcase full of Sephora makeup stolen from my world. Since then, he hasn’t been able to decide what kind of eyes he wants.
“Green.”
“ Nárs, I washed off the green only ten minutes ago, when you wanted to throw up because of it!”
He shrugs.
“But now I like it.”
I blow out a breath in frustration and put my hands on my hips.
“Okay, I’ll put it on, but…”
“Lizander.”
We both freeze and simultaneously look towards the windowsill. Darya, shirtless, crawls in like a cat. He must have bathed somewhere, water droplets are dripping from his hair onto his well-defined chest.
I frown. He left barely an hour ago, and I was still asleep then. He usually doesn’t come back until the afternoon, to take me for training.
“Sylla’s eyes saw fog. Go with Kripot and find out what is happening!”
I look back at Nárs… or rather, Lizander. The commander pinches his nose as he takes control of his mind. He massages the area around his eyes, first looking at his purple fingers, then disdainfully at me. I mumble an apology, and he stands up with a sigh, nods to Darya, and leaves the room.
Darya raises an eyebrow at the makeup kits spread out across his room. I used to dream of having a collection this big. How simple it would be to want such things again.
Darya steps closer and kisses my thick, dark purple lips, making sparks shoot across my skin. He growls into my mouth, and I almost collapse.
With his finger, he tilts my chin up to make me look at him.
“How long will you deny how much you desire me, even when my blood isn’t in you?”
It’s still too early for Darya’s blood to leave me completely, but I can think clearly.
“I’m not denying anything,” I say softly, looking at Darya’s pale lips.
“Let me rephrase. How long will you deny that you’re so wet that I could enter you without any preparation right now?”
I bite my lip.
“I’m not going to sleep with you, Darya.”
“Yet.”
“Never.”
“There’s no problem with my tongue, right?” He smiles darkly.
For two weeks, he hasn’t questioned me, only given me his blood and done whatever he wanted with me. Whatever I wanted. I thought we could go on like this for a while longer.
“You enjoy how,” he continues, his hand gently gripping my throat, “every night you come in my mouth?”
The area between my legs trembles, but I try to stay firm. I don’t dare to speak because I can’t deny it, but I don’t want to confirm it either.
“You enjoyed it…” he whispers, pushing me back. The table digs into my ass, and I hiss, “…when you were above me on the throne?”
Since then, Darya hasn’t done anything like that, only in his bed.
“Not that I’m complaining. Do you know how hard it is for me to resist then?” he asks, and through my thin clothing, his hand grips my breast. I moan softly.
“Resist killing me?”
“Exactly. We don’t stay with humans. Every demonic part of me wants to tear you apart at that moment,” he says, and the threat tenses all my muscles. “But maybe, if you ask nicely and accept that anything could happen, I’d make an exception.”
“To die during sex,” I say flatly, “is a tempting offer, but no thanks.”
He laughs.
“I would heal you.”
My eyes widen in concern and I try to pull away, but Darya grips my ass. A moan escapes me as excitement creeps in alongside the fear.
“Let me go, Darya!”
“Not yet,” he says, and the hand on my breast slides down into my pants. I inhale sharply, but don’t dare move; he hasn’t retracted his claws.
“You fucking…” I have to bite off the end of my outburst because his hand presses against the sensitive area, and he laughs with satisfaction.
“As I said. Without preparation.”
I bite my lip and, gathering all my remaining dignity, look angrily into his eyes. Only now do I notice the purple circles under them, darker than usual.
“You’re hungry,” I state in surprise, and Darya’s face becomes expressionless.
I don’t know why I’m so stupid. Maybe it’s because I want to avoid continuing this… whatever has started, even though the area between my legs burns so much it almost hurts.
I tilt my head to the side and swallow hard.
“Here,” I say softly, and Darya’s eyes widen. “Eat.”
The demon’s mouth opens, his hand leaves my underwear. He tangles his fingers in my hair painfully, licking my neck with his tongue. Instinctively, I close my eyes, shivering from his smoky breath.
Without any preamble, he bites into me.
I moan in pain.
His teeth are sharp and piercing, but suddenly the discomfort… stops. Instead, excitement rushes through me, from my neck down to my core below my belly.
What is this feeling?
Now I moan from desire, and Darya’s hand moves back to my breast, pulling my hair more forcefully to the side.
He gently runs his thumb over my hardened nipple, contrasting sharply with the forceful way he drinks from my neck.
When he stops drinking and instead kisses my neck, the fear completely leaves me.
I place my hand on his bare chest. His muscles tense under my touch as I slowly move my hand down to his abs, tracing his perfect V-line.
He growls and his hands bite into my hip, lifting me onto the table. He pulls my tank top down, exposing one of my breasts, and sucks hard on my nipple. I moan, tangling my fingers in his silver hair, pulling him closer to the swollen area.
“Darya!” Lizander’s voice echoes through the tower, and I pant as I look towards the window. Darya chooses this moment to gently bite my breast, sending jolts of excitement down my spine, making me moan.
I look at the Demon King, who is smiling darkly and blowing on my breast.
“Yes, Lizander?” he says, licking my nipple, making my face flush with shame as I tremble.
“There was an attack on the northern part of Kéntra. All the herebias are dead.”
My mouth falls open, and reality slaps me in the face. The excitement in my body quietens, replaced by a new kind of fear. Could Lavian be among them? Why did they attack? Should I have spoken to them sooner?
“Interesting,” Darya says, and when I look at him, I freeze. He’s staring at me darkly.
I swallow hard, trying to keep a neutral expression. I didn’t say my thoughts out loud, and Darya can’t read them.
“They’ve never gotten this close before. We know why they’re coming, of course.”
He plants a soft kiss on skin which is tender and red from having the life sucked out of it, and I have to stifle another moan.
Darya stands, slashes his wrist, and while I pull my tank top back on, he presses his wrist to my neck.
My wound heals instantly, and the liberating effect of Darya’s blood washes over me for a moment.
I look at the Demon King, whose gray eyes no longer have dark circles underneath them.
“I’ll come for you this afternoon,” he says, leaning closer. “And perhaps I’ll finish what I started.”
Before I can react, he and Lizander fly out of the window.
I let out a breath, then kick the leg of the table hard.
“For fuck’s sake,” I hiss.
I almost… almost let Darya have his way.
And Lavian.
They attacked the demons, and all of them died. Why? Why now?
I can’t shake the overwhelming feeling that I had something to do with it. I don’t know how.
I sigh. I can’t wait any longer.
I go to the bathroom, which is as dark as the Demon King’s room. I lock the door and look in the mirror.
The demon blood I’ve been drinking over the past weeks has had its effect.
Every part of me glows like virgin snow.
My blondish-purple hair is almost as long as it used to be.
It’s like the purple highlights are growing from the roots.
In my eyes, I can see the waves of the water surrounding my homeland.
They almost seem to move. My pouty lips are fuller than ever.
It’s as if the Kraldem’s blood has already started transforming me.
I take a deep breath. There’s no point in delaying any longer.
I swallow one of the celestial orbs, placing the other two in my pocket.
For a moment, nothing happens. Then I clutch my chest as if a rope is tightening around it, black spots appearing before my eyes. I fall to my knees, and death pulls me under.