A quick jog out to the security guard booth at the front of my property confirmed that he was in fact dead. Demetri was hidden inside the house while I stood surrounded by police as they shut down the crime scene with tape and took pictures. Special teams were running around to examine the grounds and body. A discrete streetcar pulled up, joining the crowd of cop cars and vans. The familiar face behind the wheel sent both relief and irritation through me. Detective Sullivan was in a wrinkled grey suit with reflective aviators covering his eyes as he approached me under the hot afternoon sun. His thinning head of hair had been recently shaved, the top of his head visibly red as he grew closer. He examined the body briefly as he walked by, shouting out an order not to move anything until he has a chance to examine the scene. His nose wrinkled as he got closer, and I grimaced as he looked to the side into the grass and saw the pile of stomach acid and partially digested food I had rel
He refused to make eye contact with me, and I slid my hand up to his hair so I could pull his head back to look at me. His jaw was tense beneath my thumb as he looked over my shoulder. "I didn't even realize, Demetri. To us, He is a deity that is worshipped. Over time, His name just became a figure of speech by everyone, even those who don't believe in him. But, to you…" I trailed off as his dark eyes snapped down to me. "He is real to you." "He does not need to be a part of our future interactions." Demetri snapped. I waited patiently, knowing there was more he needed to let out. "Not only does he take credit for everything, but when things got tough, and he had to answer for them, he ran away! He doesn't get to take you too!" I tried not to react to the different perspective. I wasn't raised to follow a specific religion, but that didn't mean I didn't believe there were other beings out there. Turns out, I was right, but the story we were told didn't match what he was saying. Peop
Demetri spent the night curled around my body as we lay together in bed. Every time I started to regain consciousness, I would feel his fingertips trailing up and down my arm or my thigh, occasionally I would feel him playing with my hair. I had never slept so well. Even though I woke up several times from the horror of the day, I didn't have a single nightmare. Being in his arms helped as I knew Demetri wasn't going to let anything happen to me. That didn't make it any less terrifying that a Dream Walker had a contract out on me to torment me in my sleep and that someone had gotten close enough to kill the guard at the end of my property line. I had six guards on rotating shifts. As he had started work mid-morning, he would have been killed in clear daylight. Yet, no one saw anything. My top priority was to create a magical shield similar to the one my aunt had on her house, but she did not answer her phone when I had called. It had been late at night by the time I had reached ou
Demetri's words could have set fire to my body if he wanted. If he wanted to fuck me, I would not be the one to stop him. He was right. When he was fucking me, he owned me. I would bend over backward to please him. If he asked me to drop to my knees in the middle of a large crowd, I would. It was a terrifying realization that I was no longer the driving force behind my desires. Instead, every craving was fueled by him. I wanted to record the way he moaned and grunted as he fucked me so I could play it on repeat. That sound alone was enough to make me come undone, but knowing that it was because of me that he was feeling that way, brought me to another level. His hands squeezed my breasts one more time as he continued to roll and pinch my nipples before he pulled away, leaving his magic to resume the delicious torture. The calloused skin of his large palms slid down my sides, before making their way beneath my waistband and down to the wet center that was waiting for him. As his fin
My body was already exhausted after the morning I had, but sitting in the police station for hours, being asked the same questions that I had already answered in my living room the day before, made me want to scream. Demetri was stuck outside in the car I had ordered to drive us here, just waiting for me to finish up with Detective Sullivan. I was fully compliant and answered every question they had to the best of my ability. I provided copies of my phone log and texts, any pictures I had with Vera in them (which wasn't many), and detailed statements of our interactions. The faster I finished this, the faster I could get back to him. It took me by surprise when I realized that I wanted to go to him and not just the safety that he promised. Somehow the dark and dangerous demon had managed to snake his way into my heart. It was exactly what I had told myself to avoid. I didn't want to open myself up to being hurt by him leaving when I finally found a way to break the bond. That dark c
It was a long day. I had been there for about twenty-four hours before the police chief learned I was being held. He released me almost immediately. He was a man who saw dollar signs floating away from him, and he was right. Detective Sullivan followed behind us like a beaten puppy. "Sir, we can't just let her go! We can hold her for another twenty-three hours." "We can, and we will." Chief Watson stated as he placed on hand on my back and gently guided me away from Detective Sullivan and toward the front of the station. "Ms. Hastings, I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience." I glanced at the older man, the tiredness making it hard to keep my eyes open. "Please understand if I am not quick to forgive this." I glanced over my shoulder to see an angry Detective and a smug lawyer walking behind me. Kendra sent me a wink, and I forced back a smile. "I understand completely. Just know that we always have and always will appreciate your family, and we want to get to the bottom of thi
"It had everything," I whispered in shock as I made a coffee. Sleep-deprived or not, there was no time to rest. With that book gone, and someone trying to kill me, I needed to find a way to protect myself and Demetri as quickly as possible. "Every page, every spell, everything in that book could be used to kill me…us." "Seraphina," Demetri stated calmly as he stopped me on the way to grab my coffee creamer from the fridge. The rough palms of his hands cupped my cheeks, holding me in place as he bent his head down to meet my gaze. "I can feel you, and I felt them. You are so much stronger than them. We will be okay. We just need to make a plan." There was so much emotion in his pitch-black eyes that it scared me. Was what he said true? Can a demon develop feelings and attachments too? There hadn't been time to discuss his admission, let alone do anything else. I wanted it to be true. My entire body, all the way to my toes, was filled with the desperate need for it to be true. "The d
Demetri P.O.VWe went to four stores full of hokey magic tricks, fake crystal balls, and idiotic board games. On each car ride, Seraphina fell asleep curled into a ball and leaning against the window on the other side of the vehicle. I eyed her with confusion and worry as she kept her distance. Her first nap, I had pulled her to me, wanting to provide her with a more comfortable resting place but she woke and pulled away as soon as her head hit my chest.Each time I tried to touch her, she shied away and started to fiddle with whatever was within her reach. I was tense the entire trip, kicking myself for being careless enough to let her see my true form. Clearly, she wasn't ready to see the real me, and now I had to work twice as hard to earn back her affection.The grinding of metal made me flinch as the car slowed. I felt my magic stir within me, urging me to get away from the area, but I wouldn't leave Seraphina. Through the window, I watched as we pulled up in front of a small sho