Page 30 of Demon's Prey

Yet here I am, my thoughts consumed by her pain, desperate to find some way to ease it.

As soon as we return to the mansion, Narina mumbles something about being tired and retreats to her room. I watch her go, an unfamiliar ache in my chest. Shaking it off, I stride to my study. Paperwork. The bane of my existence, but right now, a welcome distraction.

I bury myself in reports and ledgers, determined to focus on anything but her. Hours pass. The words blur together, my mind wandering. Narina's tear-stained face. The devastation in her eyes. Why can't I shake these images?

Night deepens. I growl in frustration, shoving aside another useless document. This isn't working. She's there, in every corner of my thoughts, refusing to leave.

A timid knock at the door. One of my servants enters, trembling.

"What?" I snap.

"M-my lord," he stammers. "The human... Narina. She hasn't come down for dinner. We checked her room, but..."

I'm on my feet before he finishes, my chair crashing to the floor. Fear, sharp and unfamiliar, claws at my chest.

"What do you mean, she's not in her room?" I say. My voice is low, dangerous.

The servant cowers. "No one's seen her, my lord. For hours."

The world tilts. Narina. Missing. The thought sends ice through my veins.

I grab the servant's collar, hauling him close.

"Find her," I snarl. "Now."

I storm through the mansion, my footsteps echoing off cold stone walls. Every room, every corner—empty. No Narina.

I snarl, slamming my fist into a nearby pillar. The stone cracks. I barely notice.

Where is she? The question pounds in my head, relentless as a war drum. My chest tightens with each passing moment. This feeling—it's foreign, unsettling. I've never felt so... helpless.

I burst into the library, hoping against hope to find her curled up with a book. Nothing. Just rows of silent tomes, mocking me with their stillness.

I stand in the empty library, my eyes drawn to the spot where Narina first marveled at my collection. The memory hits me like a physical blow.

Her eyes had widened, sparkling with wonder as she took in the rows upon rows of leather-bound tomes.

"There are so many," she'd whispered, her fingers trailing reverently over the spines.

I'd felt... proud. Eager to impress her further.

"You can read any of them," I'd told her, relishing the way her face lit up with joy.

That light in her eyes. It haunts me now, making me feel weak in a way I've never experienced before. For three centuries, I've pursued power relentlessly. More potent spells, deadlier weapons, higher positions in demon society. I've achieved so much, clawed my way to the top.

But now? Now I realize none of it means a thing without her to share it with.

Seeing my world through Narina's eyes has changed everything. The beauty I'd overlooked, dismissed as inconsequential - it's everywhere. In the way sunlight filtersthrough stained glass windows. In the intricate patterns carved into stone pillars. In the soft glow of fireflies at twilight.

Those fireflies. Before Narina, they were just insects. Pests, really. Now? Now their gentle light warms something deep inside me. Reminds me of her wonder, her innocence.

I clench my fists, overwhelmed by these foreign emotions. What has this human done to me? How has she wormed her way so thoroughly into my cold, demonic heart?

I continue my search, growing more anxious with every moment. When the library proves fruitless, I move on to other areas of the manor.

The gardens yield no better results. Moonlight casts eerie shadows across empty paths. No sign of her delicate footprints in the soil.

As I stand in the moonlit garden, my mind betrays me. Suddenly, I see Narina here, vibrant and alive. Her laughter echoes in my ears, a sound I've come to crave. She's wearing that thin dress, the one that clings to her curves in ways that make my mouth go dry.

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