Page 22 of Demonchild

She picked up the book and read the incantation. When she was finished, she set it down again, on top of her clothes. This time, she didn’t say anything. She waited for the demon to speak first.

He didn’t make her wait long.

“Malissa.”

The deep, dark rumbling of his voice sent a frisson of excitement racing over her skin. She did not attempt to cover herself as she had done on the previous two nights. There was no point. The demon had already seen all of her, touched all of her,tastedall of her. There was nothing left for her to hide.

“So,” Beliath said. “You’ve returned.”

His tone made it clear he was pleased.

“You doubted that I would come?”

The demon didn’t answer. He merely purred in amusement. He knew damn well she would be back, after what he had done to her the night before—after the way she had begged for it so shamefully.

“And I see you’ve brought company this time…”

Malissa realized he was looking at the portrait of Wulfgang leaning against the pillar of the darkstone ring.

“A pity our offspring has to look like him,” the demon said. “I’m much handsomer than he is.”

“I wouldn’t know,” said Malissa. “I still haven’t seen you.”

“Perhaps it’s better that way. I wouldn’t want to frighten you off.”

You just said you’re handsome, Malissa thought.

Then again, sometimes beauty could be fearsome too. She was thinking of the wolves she had seen from time to time in the forest around the castle, and the stories she’d heard of the great striped cats that prowled the steamy jungles far to the south. She was thinking of dragons.

She may not haveseenwhat Beliath looked like, aside from his eyes, but she had certainly felt him. His broad, muscular shoulders. His long, curving horns. His forked tongue.

She’d felt his face too, felt it wedged tightly between her open thighs. It was not enough for her to form a clear mental picture of the demon’s visage, but it was enough to know it did not look entirely human.

Perhaps Beliath was right.

Perhaps it was better if she didn’t see him.

“Before I step inside the circle with you,” she said, “I want to clarify the terms of our agreement.”

“Very well.”

“You are going to impregnate me,” she said. “The child will be a boy. You will use your magic to speed up the gestation, so that it only takes seven months, instead of the usual nine.” She gestured toward the portrait leaning against the stone pillar. “And you will give the child features that make him appear to be King Wulfgang’s son.”

“And in return,” said Beliath, “before the child is born, on the day of the autumn equinox, you must return and free me from my imprisonment within this darkstone ring. If you do not, you will die giving birth to the child. I’m afraid I do not have any parchment for you to sign in blood. Unless you happened to bring one of your own, we will have to settle for a handshake.”

Malissa hesitated.

She was filled with uncertainty. There was so much at stake here. The demon had not killed her last night when she had stepped into the circle with him, but that did not mean he wouldn’t do so tonight. Or perhaps he planned to kill her later, after she had freed him from his imprisonment. She doubted he would do that when she had his offspring growing inside her womb, but when it came to demons, one could never be sure.

On the other hand, she knewexactlywhat would happen to her if she did not follow through with the plan.

She had no choice. She had to do this.

Actually, that wasn’t entirely true. She did have one other option—the one Dr. Jaeger had offered her earlier that day—but the mere thought of it made her shudder with disgust.

Malissa stepped into the darkstone ring and strode forward to the low, circular altar at its center. She extended her right hand.

“Deal,” she said.

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