Page 4 of The Demon Who Loved Me

I grit my teeth, fighting back the urge to wipe that infuriating grin off his face. "Just... go entertain yourself somewhere else for a while. Read some ancient demonic texts or something. I don't care."

Malakai's eyes glint with mischief as he leans in close, his voice dropping to a low, seductive whisper. "Oh, I can think of much more entertaining ways to pass the time, little human. But I wouldn't want to scandalize your delicate sensibilities."

I feel the heat rising in my cheeks, and I quickly turn away, hoping he can't see the effect his words have on me. "I'm not some blushing schoolgirl, Malakai. Your charms won't work on me."

He chuckles, the sound sending shivers down my spine. "We'll see about that, won't we?"

Just as I'm about to retort, I come across a passage in one of the ancient tomes that makes my heart skip a beat. "Wait a minute... I think I found something!"

Malakai is at my side in an instant, all traces of humor vanishing from his expression as he scans the text over my shoulder.

"It mentions something about a 'heart of the chosen,' but I have no idea what that could mean."

He sighs, running a hand through his dark hair in frustration. "Nor do I. But if we want to break this binding, we're going to have to figure it out."

I meet his gaze, my determination mirrored in his eyes. "Then that's what we'll do. We'll scour every inch of this temple if we have to. We're getting out of this mess, one way or another."

Malakai grins, a fierce light dancing in his eyes. "As much as I’d love to, I’m sure our friends will be back sooner than later."

4

MALAKAI

Ipace the temple floor, my frustration mounting with each passing moment. Being stuck in the human world, bound to this infuriating mortal woman, is not how I envisioned spending my time. I'm a demon Lord, for hell's sake, not some errand boy for a pretty-faced poindexter in way over her head.

"Enough of this," I growl, rounding on her. "I can't stay in this wretched realm any longer than necessary. Why is the air so damp and humid?"

Evelyn looks up from the ancient tome she's been studying, her brow furrowed in annoyance. "You think I'm enjoying this any more than you are? I'm working as fast as I can, but it's not like there's a handy guide on how to break the binding just lying around."

I lean in close, my eyes narrowing. "Then we'll just have to look harder, won't we? I seem to recall you mentioning a library earlier. We should start there."

She scoffs, rolling her eyes. "Right, because I'm sure the local public library has a whole section dedicated to ancient demonic artifacts and binding rituals."

“I liked you better when you thought I was going to eat you.”

“Great. I don’t like you, period.”

“Not possible,” I say, sitting down and crossing my legs.

“Excuse me?”

“Come on,” I say, flexing just a little. “Look at me. Prince of the underworld.”

“Conceited much?”

“Just honest.”

“Well, I suppose we could go to the library to cross-reference some of these symbols. But you? I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”

“Pardon?” I say raising an eyebrow.

“You’re in a loin cloth greased up like you are about to do a photoshoot.”

"I suppose you have a point. Very well, I'll try to blend in. But don't expect me to start wearing those ridiculous human clothes."

She throws up her hands in exasperation. "Wear whatever you want, just don't draw too much attention to yourself. The last thing we need is people getting curious about the strange man with the glowing eyes and the bad attitude."

I flash her a grin, my fangs glinting in the light. "No promises, little human. Attention seems to follow me wherever I go. But I suppose I could use my glamour."

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