Page 24 of Demon's Dark Love

"Stay with me," I say as he begins to move away. "Don’t leave.”

"I never want to stop touching you," he says. "I never want to leave your body."

He turns, holding me to him as he eases toward the ground and soon I'm sitting in his lap. He wraps his muscled arms around me and pulls me to his warm chest.

I snuggle there, feeling his heat, feeling him continue to pulse inside me.

The castle trembles, as if sensing our forbidden union. A chill races down my spine, and I pull back from Enoch, my breath coming in ragged gasps. His crimson eyes are wide, not with alarm as much as interest.

“Did you feel that?” I ask, my voice barely steady.

“I did,” he mutters, scanning the corridor. “The castle’s reacting to us.”

Before I can respond, the walls themselves seem to groan. Shadows twist and writhe, slithering down the stone like living things. I clutch Enoch’s arm, my heart pounding.

“Is this… normal?” I ask, hoping he’ll say yes.

“No,” he admits, his tone grim. “It’s never done this before.”

The magic that had danced around us now churns violently, sending sparks of energy crackling through the air. I feel it seeping into my skin, making the strange markings from earlier throb with heat.

“What do we do?” I whisper, panic edging into my voice.

“Stay close to me,” he orders, his tone brooking no argument. “We need to get out of here before it gets worse.”

He grabs my hand, lifts me and we hurriedly dress before we bolt down the corridor, our footsteps echoing in the suddenly hostile castle. The walls seem to close in, the air thick with oppressive magic. I can hear whispers, unintelligible, swirling around us.

"I can't tell what it's saying," I gasp. "Is it for or against us?"

"I think it's at war with itself," he says. "Or at least the forces that live in this castle are in conflict." He looks back at me and smiles grimly.

"Good versus evil?" I suggest.

"You might say that."

“Where are we going?” I ask, struggling to keep up with his long strides.

“To the garden,” he replies. “In case everything collapses.”

I nod, gripping his hand tighter. As we reach the door to the garden, it bursts open with a force that sends splinters flying. We stumble through, the fresh air a stark contrast to the oppressive magic inside.

The garden is bathed in moonlight, the roses glistening with dew. The castle’s magic seems to hesitate, the shadows retreating as we step onto the soft grass.

“Why here?” I ask, catching my breath.

“The garden’s always been a place of peace,” he explains. He turns back to look at me, his eyes beautiful in the moonlight. “If we are going to be crushed, I want to be in the only place that rivals your beauty.”

Despite my fear, I feel myself smiling and blushing. I glance around, the beauty of the garden at odds with the chaos we just escaped. Everything is quiet and calm.

The castle shudders in imitation of our final throes.

“Is it over?”

“For now,” he says, but there’s a tension in his voice that makes me doubt it.

I lean against him, feeling the warmth of his body against mine. “What’s happening, Enoch?”

“I don’t know,” he admits, his tone raw.

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