Page 11 of Beauty's Monstrous Demons

Stripping off my clothing, I mop up sweat the best I can with a towel and then pull on a t-shirt. It’s much cooler in my room, helping me to regulate my body temperature. Finding myself exhausted, I shut off the lights and crawl under the blankets in my closet, sliding the door closed.

My alarm is set to go off an hour later than it did today, hopefully ending the strife between the professor who lives here and I. I hate loud noises, especially early in the morning. It fucks up my entire day.

CHAPTER 3

PHENEX

“Samael, why are you here?” I groan, yawning as I take another sip of my favorite whiskey. It’s after midnight and I should be asleep, but all I can think about is a skittish little omega.

“You always know,” he mutters, solidifying his body to the deep blue his skin has when he’s not invisible. He’s a fear demon, doesn’t eat, but feeds from the terror he finds or creates.

He could be here for any number of reasons, and as one of my best friends, doesn’t have any sense of decorum or boundaries.

“The air shifts,” I explain. “Not many people would notice, but I always do. Since I despise repeating myself, care to answer my original question?”

“There’s a new student on campus,” he grumbles, folding his eight foot frame into an arm chair across from me. While it's dark in my apartment, he can see me as well as I can see my surroundings. “She smells really fucking good and her fear is equally delicious. I actually feel full. I haven’t felt this full in centuries, Phenex.”

Eyes wide, I wonder if he met Lorelei. Is she his too? Samael is my senior by at least five hundred years. He’s not exactly sure because he wasn’t born on this plane, he escaped from hell. His body is thin and muscular, due to always feeling hungry.

This is an interesting development.

“What does she look like?” I hedge, hiding my lips behind my glass as I sip deeply. Samael can tell when I’m hiding something since he knows me so well. He’s one of the only living beings who does.

I don’t let anyone else in. Well, I can’t say I let him in either. He knocked down every wall I had and isn’t afraid to call bullshit on me. It’s easy to do that I guess when one has nothing to fear.

“Wild blonde curls, studies hard, almost colorless blue eyes, and smells like cherries and cream and mine,” he growls, my nose wrinkling as I swallow my drink.

“I have a theory,” I drawl. “Her name is Lorelei Rose, and she is a recent transfer student. I spoke to the Admissions office, and was told she’s been in search of the perfect school. She has transferred four times in the past two years.”

Samael whistles, frowning. “So what’s your theory? Is she looking for something? I couldn’t help myself, I had to touch her, Phenex. Her skin is so soft, her nipples?—”

“Back up,” I insist. Just because I mauled her in the office, doesn’t mean others are allowed to. “Where did this happen?”

“She was leaving the stacks, headed down in the elevator. I spent hours watching her study. Her ripped jeans show just enough skin that it’s distracting,” he groans.

Huh. She wasn’t wearing jeans earlier. She must have changed.

“And then?” I ask, feeling like a bad movie.

“I scared the fuck out of her and it tastes so damn sweet,” he groans, palming his dick. His tail flicks impatiently, as if it’s waiting for him to also get on with it. It tends to appear anddisappear at his whim. “Her nipples were so tight, her noises perfect. I could smell her arousal pooling between her legs, but it got to be too much and she ran from me. I followed her all the way back to her dorms.”

“Samael,” I sigh. “Think about it. Why would you think a girl you’ve never met before is yours? You’re older than dirt?—”

“Hey, fuck off,” he snarls, pushing his hand through his electric blue hair. There are white highlights shooting through it, making it appear as if it’s always meant to be there. He’s a little sensitive about his advanced age, which means he doesn’t like to be reminded of it.

“There’s something odd about her. I was drifting through the air vents scaring students and saw her. I started by making the room extra cold, but kept getting distracted by her nipples threatening to poke out of her shirt. Her bras need more of that stuff so you can’t see that.”

Oh boy. He’s on a roll. “Padding?” I ask. I noticed that when her breasts were pushed against my chest.

“Yes!” Samael crows, rolling his eyes. “That shit. Her nipples were damn well poking through her shirt.”

“Other than that,” I say patiently. My friend tends to get off track quickly. “What did you notice?”

“I couldn’t bring myself to turn away from her,” he admits. “I have excellent control, I simply choose not to administer it. This was different, though. Every fiber of my translucent body wanted her. I had to stay and watch her, bathe in her scent, and taste her fear.”

“Fuck,” I groan. “Follow me here, okay? She’s in my class and no one really paid attention to her. She told me when I dragged her into my office that she wears lotion to hide her scent. Why would we both be drawn to her scent, Samael?”

“She’s not our scent match,” he says with a snort. “No. There’s no fucking way!”

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