Chapter 7 Demonic Declarations
DEMONIC DECLARATIONS
The moment the doors opened, and he led me back into the club, I realized something was very wrong.
Not because of the music that moved through the room in slow, hypnotic waves.
Nor was it the low amber lighting that bathed everything in warm shadow.
It wasn’t even because the place was still filled with demons, who, only a short while ago, had witnessed me shatter a magical circle I still didn’t fully understand.
No, it was none of those things.
Something was wrong because the moment we stepped into view…
The entire room noticed.
It happened slowly, at first. A head turning here. A conversation faltering there. But within seconds, the ripple of awareness spread outward through the crowd like a stone dropping into water. The sound of voices lowered. Movement slowed, and eyes began to follow us.
Not just him but… me.
The mortal that didn’t belong here.
Which was why my fingers tightened instinctively around his hand as the weight of that attention settled uncomfortably over my shoulders.
But he didn’t even seem to notice, nor did he slow down.
If anything, his stride remained exactly the same, calm and assured.
As though the entire room watching us meant absolutely nothing to him.
The confidence in it might have been reassuring under different circumstances.
But right now, it only made the nervous flutter in my stomach worse.
Because I suddenly realized where he was taking me, and it wasn’t out of here like I had hoped.
It was toward his throne.
The moment the raised platform came fully into view ahead of us, my steps faltered.
I tugged sharply on his hand, forcing him to pause just enough for me to lean closer and hiss under my breath,
“What are you doing?”
His head turned slightly toward me, pale eyes glinting with something far too calm for the situation.
“Making a statement,” he replied, which was why a nervous laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it.
“Not with me, you’re not,” I said with more confidence than I felt, and he knew it too, if the smirk was anything to go by. But actions often spoke louder than words, and unfortunately, right now was no different.
Not when he informed me,
“That would be rather difficult to accomplish without you.”
Then, before I could argue further, he gently tugged me forward again, giving me no choice but to walk alongside him.
The platform rose above the rest of the club in smooth pale marble, illuminated by the soft glow of lantern-like lights set into the walls behind it.
From this angle, I could see almost the entire VIP level stretching out before us.
The curved balcony overlooked the lower floors where bodies moved beneath the rhythm of the music like shadows beneath water.
Demons were everywhere.
Some sat in velvet booths along the edges of the room.
Others leaned against the carved railings with drinks in hand, their attention now openly fixed on us.
A tall woman with ash-coated skin and silver horns paused mid-step beside one of the tables she had been serving.
A tray of glasses balanced effortlessly in one hand as her golden eyes flicked between Wye and me with naked curiosity.
Even the bartender had stopped pouring.
But stares weren’t the worst part of it.
Not when Wye raised a hand and clicked his fingers, creating a spark between his thumb and fingers. Something that sent a kind of mini shockwave through the club. Not only did it cut the music abruptly, but it also ensured that every single head in the club turned toward us.
The silence that followed was heavy enough to feel… or drown in.
“Oh my Goddess,” I muttered under my breath, trying to tug myself free, something he wouldn’t allow. Wye then stepped forward until we stood directly before the throne, bone and obsidian framing us both from behind.
For a moment, I considered making a run for it, but the idea lasted all of about three seconds before he stepped behind me, as if he could sense it.
Then his arms slid around me without warning.
The sudden contact pulled a small squeak of surprise from my throat as he drew me back against him.
One arm settled securely around my waist while the other rested lightly across my stomach.
The position left me facing the entire club, locked into place by the cage that was his embrace. Which meant I now had a perfect view of every demon staring straight at us.
“This… is not what I had in mind when you said date,” I whispered tightly, wondering if he heard the reprimand in this obvious observation of mine.
His response came in the form of a smirk I could feel brush against the skin near my ear.
“Calm for me,” he whispered before straightening to address the room.
“Demons and Angels alike…” His voice carried.
It wasn’t loud, but it didn’t need to be.
Not when the power in it moved through the space like a command.
The simple words were enough to still the last lingering murmurs as dozens of eyes fixed on him immediately.
Yet he still didn’t release me as he spoke.
No, if anything, his hold tightened slightly.
The subtle pressure of his arm against my waist grounded me against the solid warmth of his body as the entire room waited for what he would say next.
“For many centuries, there have been whispers among our kind of a legend long thought lost to time,” he continued, his tone composed, yet unmistakably authoritative. A ripple of curiosity moved through the crowd.
“The legend of the Lost Sirens.”
My heart gave a strange, uneven beat before a single word caught on repeat in my mind… No, no, no, no, no.
“And tonight, I get to announce that the Fates have honored me with a Siren of my very own.”
My breath caught as I remained frozen in front of him. His hand shifted slightly against my waist, drawing me closer as though presenting me to the room. One that I wished would swallow me whole.
As for the room, for long seconds after his announcement, every single person remained perfectly silent.
That was until the reaction hit all at once.
Coming at us as a wave of sound that erupted through the club as voices rose in cheers and glasses lifted high, applause breaking out across the VIP floor.
Even the horned waitress I had noticed earlier grinned openly as she raised her tray like a salute in our direction.
Heat flooded my face instantly.
“Oh my Goddess, what have you done?” I muttered under my breath, wishing I could cover my face with both my hands. Especially if the room wasn’t going to do me the courtesy of absorbing me into the floor any time soon. As for Wye, he leaned down slightly, his breath brushing warm against my ear.
“I have shared the truth,” he murmured quietly.
I flinched at that because I still had no clue if anything he said was right or not. I only knew what the potential problems I could cause were if he was wrong. And that wasn’t even taking into account the feeling of being catapulted into this, headfirst, at lightning speed.
Hell, half of me had expected an angry mob to be waiting the second I stepped out of his office, considering what they had seen me do before I went in. What I didn’t expect was the easy acceptance, despite how scary their Lord could be.
However, before I could think of anything remotely coherent to say in response, he released me just long enough to guide me toward the throne. And I was too numb to stop him.
The chair itself looked even more imposing up close, with its twisted bone and carved stone as dark as night.
It also made it clear this seat had been designed for ruling rather than comfort.
One that was certainly big enough for someone of Wye’s size as he sat down in it with the easy authority of someone entirely accustomed to doing so.
Which left me standing beside him, suddenly unsure what exactly I was supposed to do with myself now.
My gaze flicked across the platform until I spotted an empty seat near the throne.
Perfect.
So, naturally, I stepped toward it. But I had barely taken two steps before a soft tsk sounded behind me, and strong hands framed my hips.
Then, before I could react, I was lifted clean off my feet.
A startled squeal escaped me as he pulled me directly back toward him and settled me firmly onto his lap.
He also situated me slightly angled to the side so that he could see my face, getting a pretty good idea of how I felt about this.
“What are you doing!?” I snapped, keeping my voice low enough so that others couldn’t hear my outrage.
“I would think that obvious,” he replied in a teasing tone that made me huff.
“You know,” he murmured lazily beside my ear as I tried unsuccessfully to regain some dignity,
“I am curious where exactly you believed you were going?”
My entire body went rigid.
“Well, you can’t seriously believe that sitting on your lap was the best choice?” I snapped as his arm settled comfortably around my waist again.
“Oh, but I... in fact, I believe it was the only choice,” he replied.
I tossed my arm out to point at the empty seat, countering with,
“No, that was the best choice.”
He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips, nipping at my fingers before reaffirming,
“The only choice, Eliza,” he growled, the low rumble of my name doing strange things to me, and the shiver that ran through me was one he felt against him. Because from the moment he had settled me firmly onto his lap, every muscle in my body locked.
Not because the position itself was uncomfortable, quite the opposite, in fact. Especially when the solid warmth of him behind me made sitting in his lap far more comfortable than it should have been.
But the reality of where we were quickly caught up with me.
We were seated high upon a throne overlooking an entire room full of demons, who had very recently been told that I was apparently his lost Siren.
Under that kind of attention, it was nearly impossible for my body to remember how to behave like a normal human being.
The music had returned, though softer than before, and the conversations that had been interrupted by his declaration were slowly beginning to resume.
Yet despite that, I could still feel it.
The lingering attention. Curious glances that drifted our way before quickly pretending they had been looking elsewhere all along.
Which was hardly reassuring when I was currently sitting across the knee of the most powerful demon in the room.
“Now relax,” he offered, his hand settling back in my lap after releasing mine, once he had finished kissing the places he had softly bitten.
“How am I supposed to relax?” I whispered tensely, my shoulders stiff as I resisted the urge to slide straight off his lap and disappear behind one of the velvet booths below.
“Everyone here is staring at me, and you just went ahead and told them all that I am your… your…” The word refused to come out, and before I could even try and finish that sentence, his voice slipped low and seductive beside my ear, finishing it for me.
“My Siren.” The quiet certainty in those two words stole the rest of my protest instantly. I twisted slightly in his arms, turning my head so I could study his face for even the smallest hint that he might be teasing me.
But there was none.
His expression remained composed, almost thoughtful, as though what he had just announced to the entire club was the most natural thing in the world.
“How can you possibly be so sure?” I asked softly, my voice losing some of its sharpness as uncertainty crept in where irritation had been moments before.
“What if… if you have made a mistake?” This time, the question came out as a shamed whisper, and something in him stilled behind me.
The change was subtle, barely more than a tightening of the arm that rested comfortably around my waist. Yet I felt it immediately. The quiet strength of him, the controlled power that seemed to sit just beneath the surface of everything he did.
“There has been no mistake,” he replied with a certainty that took my breath away.
The calm conviction in his voice should not have affected me the way it did, but the quiet inevitability behind it still sent an uneasy flutter through my chest. Which was why I hesitated before speaking again.
Yet the thought that had been nagging at me since the moment he made that declaration finally forced its way out.
“But it’s forbidden.”
His reaction was instant, his body going completely still behind me.
“What?” he practically hissed the response, making me flinch against him, wishing I could take it back.
So, when I didn’t say anything further, he took a calming breath, closing his eyes while he did.
“And what makes you say that?” The quietness of the question didn’t hide the edge beneath it.
Which was why I shifted slightly, suddenly very aware that the answer might not be one he particularly enjoyed hearing.
“Well… from what I understood, it’s forbidden for one of your kind to be with a mortal,” I said carefully, glancing down at my hands where they twisted nervously in the silky material of my skirt.
A slow breath left him.
“I see the demon has been quite informative.” The faint, bitter tone in his voice made me lift one shoulder in a small shrug.
“It’s a good job he was,” I replied honestly.
“Otherwise, I would still be completely in the dark about everything happening around me.”
“He was wrong,” he stated firmly, and for some insane reason, I very nearly lifted my hand to smooth the tick in his jawline. And maybe he was holding himself back from doing the same with me, as the firmness of the statement made my brow crease slightly.
“Wrong?” I asked, my heart pounding.
“In this case… most definitely,” he said sternly, which was a sharp contrast to the warmth of his fingers as they brushed slowly along my arm. As though the movement was entirely absent-minded.
I opened my mouth to question that further. However, before I could speak, he gently redirected the conversation with a smoothness that made it clear the subject was no longer open for discussion.
“Let us not speak of it now,” he murmured, his voice lowering near my ear again. Which was precisely when he dropped his next bombshell on me.
“You wouldn’t wish to ruin the first date I’ve ever had, now, would you?”
At this, my jaw dropped, and before I could stop my runaway mouth, I blurted out the most embarrassing question of all…
“Oh, my Goddess…”
“…Are you a virgin?!”