Chapter 12
Clara's breath evens out and I let out a sigh.
I can't relax, though. I'm desperately trying to keep my hips away from her ass.
She definitely doesn't need to wake up with my hard cock poking her back.
It's not like I can just will my erection away, especially with her body pressed against mine.
She has no idea what she's doing to me. I don't blame her.
From what Dimitri told me, periods aren't fun. He went off on a tangent about different levels of pain and how some don't get it that bad. I tuned him out, then popped topside when he was mid-sentence.
A shudder runs through me when I remember my time at the store.
The lights were too bright, the choices too many, and the workers gave me a wide berth.
I wasn't surprised. Even with a mask over my features, humans have enough sense to steer clear of a demon.
Which meant I wandered around forever trying to find everything.
I stood in front of the boxes of tampons for much too long.
I overheard one woman say some of them were pads.
That was about the time I started filling the cart with one of everything.
Some of them didn't make sense to me—the cups, the vibrator, the test. They were all next to each other on the shelves, though, so I just got it all.
Minus the ones that looked like fake cocks.
I never thought I'd be jealous of a piece of what looked like rubber, but here we are.
Clara mumbles in her sleep, and I tighten my grip on her. I shush her, my lips brushing her temple. She settles and my chest aches, though I don't know why. Or maybe I'm just not ready to admit it.
I close my eyes, attempting to sleep. Every time Clara shifts, my eyes snap open.
She turns in my arms and tucks her head under my chin.
My hand rests on her lower back and she moans.
I swallow hard and bury my nose in her hair.
I should leave or at least retreat to the chair in the corner of her room.
Instead of listening to my better judgment, I pull her closer.
Hours pass, marked only by the moon marching across the dark hardwood floors. My lids droop and I float between waking and sleeping. Every shift of her body snaps me awake.
“This is all Dimitri's fault,” I say under my breath.
The air around me thickens and my nostrils flare. My gaze skips around the room, waiting for something to jump out of the dark corners. My shadows envelop Clara, hiding her from the threat stalking us.
My growl rumbles through the room as Dimitri's grinning face steps out of the blackness.
He isn't fazed by my obvious displeasure, merely waving away my shadows so he can get a clear view of Clara.
He's powerful enough to walk through my magic.
I always thought it was helpful, but now I'm having second thoughts.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snarl.
“No idea. Haven't been summoned in a hot minute, but suddenly here I was. Thought your witch wanted a sexier demon to look at.” He grins as I glare daggers at him. “Oh, don't be like that. Such a grump. Ope, and possessive.”
“I'm not possessive,” I whisper harshly. “And keep your voice down.”
Gently, I ease away from Clara, and she reaches for me. I smooth her hair away from her forehead, and she tugs a pillow into her to replace me.
Dimitri sidles up next to me. “Jealous of a pillow? Don't blame you. She's cu—”
I snatch his arm and march him out of her bedroom, down the hallway, and into the living room.
I snap my fingers and a lamp in the corner flares to life.
The desk I put together sits under the window looking out on the front lawn.
She hasn't moved too much around, but enough to change the entire feel of the place. For some reason it pisses me off.
“You've spent a lot of time here, huh?” Dimitri murmurs as he pokes around the room.
“Get out of her things,” I growl. “What are you doing here?”
“She sells plants? Using her witchy skills. Smart.” He spins around and smirks. “I already told you. Got the ole summons and here I am.”
“Well, no one summoned you. Clara is sleeping and has been for a while, and I certainly can't do that shit. So, go back.”
He winces and I brace myself. “Uh, I tried that. Didn't work. Not entirely sure who summoned me, but I can't go back. Might work if your witch girlfriend did it. You want me to wake her up or…”
“She's not my girlfriend. You're not waking her up. It's five in the morning here and she didn't get to sleep until late. Just…crash here or something.”
“So you can go back to cuddling?” His gaze drops, reminding me I'm in only underwear, and he smirks. “Kind of cute how she was all tucked into you. Been a while since I've been with a witch. How is it?”
I scrub my hands down my face and groan. “I haven't bedded her. And I don't plan on it. She's not my girlfriend and I wasn't cuddling. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Me?” He plasters on an innocent face like I can't see right through him.
“What's wrong with you? She's been summoning you for weeks now, which most people would consider flirting, yet here you are missing all the many signs she's throwing out. Also, no one calls it bedding anymore. You really need to spend more time topside if this is going to work out.”
“I'm not doing this with you. Crash on the couch or go wander around until she's awake.”
“Why are you so against this?”
I stomp past him, but his hand snaps out and grabs me. “Let go.”
“Omen, we've known each other for centuries. Tell me what the fuck is wrong with you.”
I peel his fingers from my arm and round on him. “Did you ever think that not all of us are so cavalier with our relationships? Maybe we don't all just want to fuck, then fuck off.”
“Hey,” he says weakly.
I know I'm hurting him, but I can't stop. Everything I've kept inside, everything I've been avoiding, bubbles within me. He started this, forcing me to share shit I never wanted to even think about. He may not deserve it, but he opened this can of worms.
“And let's say I throw caution to the wind.
What then? She's topside. She has a life here. She has fucking friends.” I jab my fingers at the photo hanging on her wall.
“I'm a damn demon who lives in Hell. What exactly do you expect me to do?
Kidnap her? Bring her down to Hell and force her to be there with me?
Just hoping she'd eventually want to stay.
Oh, and I'd either have to convince her to give up her mortality or watch her grow old at an expedited rate until she wastes away to nothing. Do I have that right or am I missing something?”
Shock splashed across Dimitri's face makes me pause. “You really went down the rabbit hole, didn't you? Fuck, Omen. I was just teasing. Not like I expected you to be soulbound to her.”
“Ludo would have my ass if I was,” I mutter.
I didn't even think about mating her. Binding her to me forever seems extreme, especially since we haven't even fucked yet.
“Well, whatever you do, you might want to figure it out quick. Your absence has been noted.”
“I'm not—”
Dimitri vanishes in a puff of purple smoke, taking the light from the lamp with him.
I tip my head back and sigh heavily. Ever since Clara summoned me, I've been off-kilter.
My sleep schedule is the least of my concerns, but I'm convinced if I just crashed for a day or two, my mind wouldn't be as muddled.
I could figure out everything else at that point.
“Omen?” Clara calls softly, and I turn. “I thought you were going to wake me when you left? Why does it smell like sulfur?”
Her messy dark hair creates a halo around her head.
The moon has long since set, hiding from the sun's eventual coming.
Despite the shadows, I swear her silhouette glows with an inner light I didn't notice before.
I don't think she notices either. She rubs her hands up and down her arms, then grips her elbows.
Her gaze skips around the room, never settling on me for long, and I realize I haven't answered her.
“I didn't leave. I thought I heard the cat.” I stroll close to her. “Turns out it was nothing. Let's go back to bed.”
She lets me lead her back to the bedroom.
She doesn't question me about the sulfur again.
I don't know why, but I'd rather not mention Dimitri's visit.
Regardless of why he was here, it has nothing to do with Clara.
She slides between the sheets and blinks lazily at me.
A question rests in her eyes and relief floods them when I slip in next to her.
I'm playing a dangerous game with my restraint.
She doesn't hesitate to cuddle close to me and my arms wrap around her. Her heart thunders against my chest, giving her away. Soon, it slows and her muscles relax. When I think she's asleep, I roll onto my back, keeping my arm behind her back. I jolt when she huffs.
“Why are you lying to me?” she whispers.
“What do you think I lied about?”
“The sulfur. It's the same smell when you poof. You avoided the question.”
My fingers brush along her side and she shivers. “Dimitri was here. Then he left. I didn't want you to think random demons would be showing up.”
“Except he's your friend, so he's not really random. What did he need? Shit, you need to go back, don't you?”
She attempts to push away from me, making me cling tighter to her.
Everything I spouted off to Dimitri was the truth.
Except I can't seem to let her go. All my plans to sever the tie between us flew out the window.
I haven't even thought about it since I put together her desk.
No matter how much being with her wouldn't work in the long term, I'm hesitant to let her go completely.
“I don't need to be anywhere. He doesn't know why he got sent here, and he got sent…somewhere else.”
“Shit, do I need to get rid of the summoning circle?” She pushes again as if she'll get up right now and wash away the evidence.
“If you erase the circle, you won't be able to summon any demons.” I hold my breath, hoping she understands the implications. I won't stop her if she wants to go through with it. I can't.
My arm falls away from her as she scrambles to her feet. She grabs a silk robe and slides her arms into the sleeves. I prop myself against the headboard, the sheet settling around my hips. I refuse to chase after her. If she wants to erase me from her life, then so be it.
I'm too far gone to think it won't hurt, but eventually I'll get over it.
At least I hope I will. Maybe she'll plague the rest of my existence.
She'll sit in the back of my mind, a reminder of all the ways I went wrong.
She'll torment my waking hours and haunt my dreams every night.
It'll be an apt punishment for thinking a witch like her would ever want a demon like me.
She's almost out the door when she stops and glances over her shoulder. “Aren't you coming?”
“Not anytime soon, little witch.” My attempt at a joke falls flat. I clear my throat and mutter, “I'll wallow here instead.”
“What if I need help?”
“You won't need my help. Actually, I can't.” I doubt the magic would allow me to participate in erasing my existence from this plane. I don't know the consequences, especially since she used that damned book. The thing has a vindictive side.
She turns, confusion splashed across her face. “What do you mean, you can’t?”
“No demons, Clara. None.”
She tilts her head, and I see the exact moment it clicks. She nods once, then spins around and stomps out of the room. My eyes slam shut and I wait for the familiar tug to drag me back to Hell.