Page 35 of My Silent Demon

I smiled. “Well then. That’s convenient since we’ll be doing that often.”

Really?

I loved how turned on the taste of my blood made Osian. I pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Really.”

Chapter 17

Magdalene

“I want to surprise Osian,” I said to Wynn, standing outside her door. “Do you have any Parmesan cheese?”

Wynn’s face broke into a goofy smile. “Aww. He’ll love that. No, unfortunately, I don’t have any.” She gestured over her shoulder. “Let me grab my keys, and we can run to the store.”

I shook my head. “Nah, I’ll walk down there real quick. The store’s right around the corner. I’ll be back before it gets dark. You stay here and keep the men distracted in case they come home before I get back.”

Wynn grinned. “Sounds like a plan. Be careful.” She hugged me.

I returned the hug. “I will.”

* * *

“That’ll be $11.45,” the teenage grocery store cashier said. He looked too young to be there, like a baby high schooler playing dress up in his parent’s store uniform. Whatever, not my problem.

I swiped my debit card in the card reader. A few moments later, the receipt printed, and the cashier handed it to me.

“Thanks for shopping with us today,” he said.

I nodded and grabbed my two shopping bags. I walked to the front door. The apartment was around the corner; it should be a quick walk. My headphones went into my ears, and I connected them to the Bluetooth on my phone, which I tucked into my pocket as beats played.

I stepped from the heated store onto the sidewalk outside. The spring breeze was chilly, so I stuffed my hands into my hoodie pocket, still grasping the bags. The bags were lightenough to hang out of my pocket. Gray clouds filled the sky, indicating it might rain later.

The sun would set soon, the sky already growing dim. I’d have to walk fast to make it back before twilight.

I walked up the sidewalk. The sheer number of supernatural creatures caught my eye as I went. A family of trolls perched inside a restaurant I passed. A beautiful woman with wings sat behind a clay wheel at a pottery shop. They were beautiful. I never would’ve noticed these people before.

The music pounded in my ears as I continued home.

Osian treated me like I was precious. A smile broke across my face as I thought about him. Sure, he had a few eccentric tastes, but I couldn’t ask to be treated better. I’d even started thinking of his apartment as home.

I couldn’t wait to surprise him with dinner. He deserved so much more.

When a hand roughly closed over my mouth, I had just enough time to widen my eyes before pain exploded through the back of my head and everything went black.

Chapter 18

Magdalene

I couldn’t see anything. There was a blindfold over my eyes. I could feel that I was tied up in a fetal position on the floor. A quick inventory told me that my hands and ankles were bound. The back of my head throbbed. My shoes were missing.

Distantly, I could feel a pulse that connected to Osian. I’d laid on his chest enough that I could tell that heartbeat anywhere.

I groaned, wishing I was with him.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” a masculine voice said with excitement. Footsteps walked closer to me, the wooden floorboards creaking under the added weight.

Right by my ear, the voice whispered, “Welcome back to reality, princess.”

Goosebumps rose on my skin, and my heart kicked up. I smelled Axe body spray like my captor had doused himself in it.

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