Page 30 of Their Demon

Keir

When I arrived at my office, the plan was to complete what needed to be done and return to the flat in time for Lillian’s evening training. I had told the twins I would miss the morning session and to fill in for me, though I suspected that wouldn’t happen.

I had to put that out of my mind, though, or I’d get behind and miss out on even more trainings with Lillian. I’d been having to work different hours than usual due to her training schedule, but once we were at the end of this, all the sacrifices would be worth it.

My plans went up in flames when I saw my father enter my office and strut to my desk with a sinister look on his face.

His plan was obvious the moment he told me I would be entering all the paperwork for the last week into the computer systems: keep me busy and away from Lillian.

“We have employees specifically for that,” I countered. Those said employees, of which there were several, spent most of their time entering data. It was not a one-person job.

Sneaky prick.

Not surprised by my defiance, he shrugged. “I gave them the week off. They were overdue for a break. Someone has to pick up the slack. Lucky you.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. He was confident, and I knew he had leverage. I needed to know what he was going to hold over me.

“And if I refuse?”

“I was hoping you’d ask,” he said with a tilt to his voice. He clasped his hands together slowly in front of him. “If you refuse, I hope Lillian’s prepared for her first trial…” I lifted an eyebrow as he trailed off. “Because it will happen tomorrow.”

“You can’t—”

He put up a finger, silencing my protest. “Icanand Iwill. Don’t push me, Keir.” I clenched my jaw tight, grinding my teeth. “So what’ll it be?” he asked, his eyes daring me.

I let my jaw tick a few more times, glaring at him before answering. “Where’s the paperwork?”

A sinister grin spread from ear to ear. “Bring it in!” he hollered toward my door.

Four carts were pushed into my office, stacked high with papers. It took everything to keep my jaw from hitting the floor.Holy shit. I groaned inwardly. I would not be seeing Lillian tonight, and the thought bothered me more than I would’ve liked to admit.

Things had been tense between us, but that didn’t mean I wanted to miss out on my already limited one-on-one time with her. It was my only chance to be that close to her, though watching her sweat and breathe hard as she punched and jumped around was more than I could bear, which is why I went back to my room every night hard as a damn rock.

“See to it that it all gets entered, or work until midnight, whichever comes first,” my father said with a small chuckle as he started toward the doors. He stopped short and turned back to face me, his eyes filled with fierce confidence. “Your efforts are futile, by the way. She will fail… and then, she’ll be mine.”

Hearing him call her his made me sick to my stomach. The thought of what he would do to her, the ways he’d torture and hurt her if he got his hands on her, made me angry.

Silence overtook the room once the door was shut. I blew out a breath as I stared at the mountains of paperwork waiting for me and rubbed my face with my hands, trying to mentally prepare myself for the mindless work ahead of me.

It was worth the inconvenience, though. His threat of moving up the trial was serious, and I wouldn’t put it past him to move it up for the fun of it. For now, we had to follow his rules. Maliciousness was his game, and Lillian was the pawn.

The flat was quiet when I got home, as expected. It had been hours since everyone typically went to bed. I hadn’t finished the paperwork—no one could have in one day—but I’d worked until midnight, just as he’d commanded.

I walked straight past the living room, stopping at the bar to pour myself a strong drink before going to the kitchen. I was starving. Thankfully, Ida left a plate of food for me in the fridge.

After eating, I pulled the top button of my shirt loose, then the next, as I made my way to the hall to my room. I stopped in front of Lillian’s room, a habit of mine I didn’t care to break. It was something I did often. Sometimes, I swear, she left it open just for me so I could catch peeks of her getting dressed, like she knew I was watching.

I heard nothing as I pressed my ear to the door. They were asleep.

A small part of me wished she’d stayed up, waiting for me to come home. Why would she, though? After the way I’d treated her?Fuck. I’d messed up big time. I’d let her peel back my layers, see me vulnerable, then pushed her away again.

Had the twins not saved me by walking in that day, I might’ve kissed her, sending us into an even deeper spiral. I’d wanted to, though. Every moment since, my thoughts were filled with what her lips would have felt like, tasted like, pressed against mine.

My heart physically ached as I pulled away from her door and headed down the hall to my dark, empty bedroom. I stopped short when my heart began racing. No, that wasn’t my heart. I turned to see her door cracked, a sleepy, emerald-green eye peeking at me.

Hey, I thought to her, licking my lips as a sudden nervousness crept over me.

The door opened a bit more, revealing her curious look.

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