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Biting her lip, she gave a quick nod. “The horns. The mystery. The danger. But then again, you’re looking at a girl who always had a soft spot for the bad guy in scary movies. Watching Labyrinth always made me feel funny.”
Drastos chuckled and shifted beside her. He stared at her for a moment, then fell onto his back. The bed shook under his large body as he settled onto a pillow and looked up to the ceiling. It was strange to see him this way, laying in her bed and taking up most of it. The sight of the intimidating demon laying against her lavender sheets was almost comical.
“Humans are fascinating,” he mused.
“We are,” she agreed. She pulled the rumpled blanket from the foot of the bed and brought it over her body. The apartment had a chill. “What now?”
He didn’t respond, and continued to look up.
She tried to be patient, reasoning he was just as unprepared for this outcome as she was.
“We aren’t meant to form attachments to humans,” he said finally. “For a multitude of reasons.”
“Why did you ever agree to a date, then?” she asked.
“I thought it would go poorly. I thought that the reality would pale compared to the imagined ‘what if’ world we’d created around ourselves. Years of flirting. Of getting to know each other. It meant nothing because we’d never dug deeper.”
“Is that the truth, then? Did it go poorly?” She braced for his answer.
He exhaled audibly. “It was a disaster. Everything that drew me to you in the first place compounded. I realized I’dmiscalculated before we’d even made it to the restaurant. The connection between us was genuine, and by the time we had that kiss—the one you feel so strongly about—I knew I had to have you.”
Her heart raced. The emotions she tried to stifle returned tenfold. She could make sense of things now. He had to reject her, or thought he had to.
“I thought if I came tonight and had you, that would be enough.”
“And now?”
“We walk among humans daily. Have done so for years. You aren’t the first to discover the truth.”
“And I assume that usually means… silencing them.”
He gave her a look that confirmed her guess. “Or they were brought into servitude in our home realm, in one fashion or another. Human servants in Pand?monium aren’t uncommon.” He growled and left the bed. “But that won’t be your fate.”
She sat up, holding the blanket against her chest for comfort more than modesty. “Earlier you said—”
“I recall. I meant to scare you, for my sake. You were supposed to be afraid of me. Hate me. Make it easier for this to happen once and be no more than a nightmare that would fade in your memory.” He paced back and forth, his tail flicking with annoyance.
“I guess there’s no demonic memory wiping ability?” she asked. Not that she wanted her memory erased.
He shook his head. “Madness. We can inflict madness and then your memories would be a muddle. That’s as close as it gets. Plucking out individual moments is an impossible task for Maelificars such as myself.”
Maelificars? Her face scrunched, but he continued past her confusion, “Other demons can do it, but it isn’t the sort of favor one asks for.”
“Then…” She couldn’t imagine what that left.
“There are rules. Pand?monium is chaos incarnate, but all demons bend to order in some fashion. An unclaimed human with knowledge of the truth can’t simply run free. I must claim responsibility for my actions. For you, there is only one fate.”
The solemn finality of his words swept over her. So far, the presented options were death, madness, or servitude. He wouldn’t kill her. She was certain of that. It didn’t seem he wanted to drive her mad, and he’d implied he wouldn’t bring her to Pand?monium.
Approaching the bed, he held out his hand. She took it without hesitation, and when he gently tugged, she stood before him, allowing the blanket to fall away. His pitch-black eyes roamed her naked body a moment before meeting hers.
“Join me in eternity?” he asked.
“Wha—what?”
His hand squeezed hers, and he pulled her toward him until her sore breasts collided against his muscled stomach.
He loomed over her, reminding her exactly how large and intimidating he could be.
