Page 44 of Beneath the Watching

She’d yelped when her bare ass hit the stone flooring. The force of her fall sent the dildo bouncing across the ground until it conveniently landed in the lit fireplace. The hiss and crackle of the rubber toy was momentarily distracting before I focused on her again. “Get out of my room.”

“I was assigned to you,” she whined. “Please take me, I can’t leave until you fuck me. I’ll do anything you want, even drink your piss.”

Grabbing her by her hair, I yanked her to a standing position. “I don’t want you and I never will. Get out of here before I drain you and throw you in the fire with your plastic penis.”

She grabbed onto my sleeve, and I raised my hand, ready to slam her against the wall. “They’ll kill me. You have to sleep with me.”

“Why?” She was much too eager to get me into bed; there were hundreds of other men she could’ve spread her holes for. For all I knew, her overused cunt had been spelled specifically for me.

She stammered, “You’re...you’re an honored guest.”

I chuckled, knowing I was no such thing. I flicked my fingers, sending her crashing against the door without laying a hand on her. She landed in a heap, her ass and dripping pussy facing me. My hand went to the door frame and my boot to her rear as I kick-rolled her body into the hall. I was certain a maintenance crew or something of the sort would take her to an infirmary, or whatever they did here for situations involving unwanted deliveries.

I’d been unable to send her as far away as I would’ve liked, having run into a barrier spell. It would seem they didn’t want me wandering around unchecked or unsupervised. I felt confident she wouldn’t test me further and listened for a moment to her crying in the hall before I turned away and shut her out.

It was moments like this I was bitterly reminded that if I were like Ilya, or even Ramone, I wouldn’t be trapped this powerless and under the control of conspirators.

Josiah came at the appointed time to chaperone me, looking as immaculate as ever and instigating my ire. My own appearance was slightly disheveled and being used to maintaining full control over my destiny and my appearance, the discomfort was nearly intolerable.

“Was the woman dissatisfying?” he asked, wrinkling his nose in the direction of the fireplace.

I dutifully trailed after him as he exited the room. “She was unwelcome.”

He looked mildly irritated before quickly masking his face and returning to his professional stance. “She was favored by me, but she will be replaced.”

Replaced? “I’m certain she will.” It was unclear by his tone whether he meant he’d send me another gift or if he’d find another woman he “favored.” I couldn’t imagine he’d have any difficulty finding someone willing. I was completely uninterested in either option; more concerned about when I’d be allowed to take my leave than anything else.

The man tossed a grin my way, the tips of his pointed teeth making a brief appearance as we traveled down the corridor. Josiah nodded a greeting to a few passersby while others practically hugged the wall and pulled their collars up, attempting to get out of his way.

Some glanced at me with trepidation but for the most part it was clear who the superior predator was, and unlike usual, it wasn’t me. To his credit, Josiah didn’t take the opportunity to emphasize that fact as many others would. It seemed the quiet grace of his vampire blood tempered the wild narcissism of his demonic roots.

After what’d felt like an eternity, we arrived at a set of tall doors.

“Dinner is significantly less formal than court,” Josiah stated, gripping the door handle. “Please feel free to indulge.” His eyes sparkled with hunger as he swung the panel wide and swept his arm to the side.

Entering the dining room, I took it all in. A long table graced the center of the space, covered with sprawling vines and lit candelabras. Heaps of grapes and some types of meat were piled on platters arranged around the receptionist who’d now become the main course of the evening’s meal. The woman who’d been masturbating on my bed was now trussed up like a holiday turkey, unmoving, but for thin streams of blood trickling from various places.

Sem and what I believed were his advisors or other high-ranking members of his court, were seated at the table, engrossed in conversation. My gaze briefly lit on a familiar-looking woman, outfitted completely in purple, but I couldn’t place her. Carafes filled with wine, blood, and likely a mixture of both, were being poured by white-gloved servants.

“No infirmary for the woman? I believe I broke many of her bones,” I remarked, turning to Josiah. He’d stripped his jacket off and handed it to an attendant before beginning to roll his sleeves up.

“She failed,” he replied.

“She didn’t try very hard.”

He gave a hearty laugh and placed his hand on my shoulder. “You may find her more to your liking, now.”

Any woman who wasn’t my jasmine-scented ebony-haired beauty waiting for me at home would be found not to my liking. Unlike the majority of my peers, I wasn’t promiscuous. I’d seen the damage the behavior could cause and witnessed the benefits and strengths of faithfulness. The power of loyalty was a weaponto be kept close and controlled rather than spread out, inviting suspicion and resentment.

My sister had fallen victim to a lack of loyalty and faithfulness. Her crime was to inadvertently divulge our mother’s indiscretion to her maid, and she paid the ultimate price by giving away her whereabouts. When our mother was threatened with banishment for the humiliation, that was when she took my sister’s life.

There was nothing I could do to change anything that’d happened, and I hadn’t been home when the attack occurred. My failure was an everyday constant reminder of why I kept mastery over my emotions and impulses. To do otherwise was to invite disaster.

Shaking my head to toss the painful, unwanted, and unexpected thoughts away, I trailed after Josiah and approached the table, taking a seat. Josiah sat beside me and poured himself a glass of blood, resting his elbows on the table. “Help yourself,” he nodded at the carafe.

Blood was not a necessary source of nourishment for demons as it was for vampires, but the spiritual aspects of the liquid made it an occasionally useful choice. Depending on the characteristics of the being it was sourced from, one could enhance their magic or gain insight, possibly even enjoy an altered consciousness.

Alternatively, one could be poisoned or cursed.

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