Page 46 of Beauty's Monstrous Demons

Grabbing my things, I rush out the door, glad for once that the hallways are empty. Going down the stairs slower because the tread on my boots is shot, I lament the fact that I’m going to need a new pair soon. One day I’m going to shoot down the stairs and break my legs.

Ugh, they just don’t make things to last anymore.

There’s a toasted sandwich cart on the way to my next class, and I make a beeline toward it. It’s almost two in the afternoon, my stomach is threatening to eat itself. My next classes are back to back, I plan to take a nap on the couch right after. This is the day from hell since I added the chem minor and extra class.

My sandwich makes me moan from the first bite, and I walk and eat. It’s not the best for digestion, but it’s better than not getting to eat at all. A couple of creatures glance at me in amusement.

I don’t care what they think, I’m so fucking happy right now. I almost passed out on Samael which was really scary. I try to be better about taking care of myself.

I’m just a girl fighting for my life. I am aware of the passage of time, the fact that I have four scent matches, and no way to know if there are more. For some reason, four feels like a good number right now.

I’m following my instincts on this and going to trust that they’re right. Unfortunately, one of my scent matches isn’t sure if he wants me or not, and the other is lurking in the shadows.

My stomach twists in a way it never has just as I throw out my trash, making me wince. Ugh, I really hope I’m not going to pay for this sandwich later.

It would be just my luck.

CHAPTER 11

LORELEI

Frowning at the bedsheets once I’m done with classes for the day, I begin to strip them. I hate the color. They don’t feel right.

Dropping them by the door, I search for another set, finding them in the hall closet before beginning to make the bed again. Phenex and Samael both have meetings tonight, though the latter found me before my last class to apply arnica cream on my neck.

It immediately felt soothing on my skin, and when I went to check it in the mirror in the lobby, I found that the bruises from Alecto’s fingers were almost completely gone. Thank goodness for that, because I’d been getting odd glances from my teachers.

I can only imagine what they would have thought when they saw the dark fingerprints and claw marks across my chest and neck.

My body feels hot and achy, but I don’t know why. Shuddering, I grab the headboard for a moment as my pussy clamps down on nothing.

“Ow,” I whimper. “Why are you doing that?”

It’s reminiscent of the day on the side of the road when I was driving, the birthday when everything changed. My belly is cramping, and I have this overwhelming urge to find Phenex or Samael. I want to beg them for their dicks, which is absurd. People don’t do…

“Fuck,” I whisper, rubbing my stomach and moving to the dresser to change my panties. Pulling them off, I wince as I glance down at the mess inside of them. Tossing them with the discarded bed linen to wash, I change into thick panties and undress to find something more comfortable to wear.

Combing through the clothes in the closet, I pull on a long sleeved sweatshirt that smells of fresh rain. Moving back to the bed, I smooth everything out, breathing through the pain of these cramps. I’m fine, I’m not helpless, I can handle this…

Bed made, I stagger to the laundry basket because this sweatshirt isn’t working for me. Pawing through the dirty clothes, I make a face as I pull out a soft linen dress shirt that’s unbuttoned. Pressing it to my nose, I inhale deeply, moaning as I smell peaches. Changing quickly, I relax a little as the scent surrounds me.

Pulling out other items and shoving them underneath the bedsheets to hide them so the fresh linens will smell like my scent matches, I breathe a small sigh of relief. I feel antsy, as if there are other things I need to do. It’s like when I end up having to clean everything, so that’s what I do.

I wash the laundry, steam clean the couches, and vacuum the carpets, moving laboriously around due to the deepening cramps. The air is thick with my scent, there’s no hiding it anymore, despite my descenting spray.

Finding a rice sock, I desperately warm it in the microwave before going back to the bedroom now that the apartment is clean. It’s been hours, and I don’t know if I should bother either one of them yet.

Maybe this is the start of the heat they were talking about?

Closing the door and shutting the curtains around the bed, I lay in the dark with tears streaming down my face and a sock filled with rice pressed against my stomach. I’m never sick, but this is supposed to help when you feel like shit, right?

Oh God, it’s not working or helping right now. I just feel hot and sweaty instead.

Fuck, ow, fuck! Screaming, I claw at the sheets, knowing I’m fucking them up. I thought I could wait, but I’m not that strong, I can’t…

I feel as if my clothes are itchy and too hot, which is odd since I just put them on. Shrugging off the shirt and shoving off the double lined panties I was wearing, I start to drift in an effort to get some space from the pain.

The door slams open, and the twinkling lights around the room turn on, disturbing the cool darkness from before. My skin is so hot, and I feel as if I’m burning from the inside out. At some point, I lost the stupid rice heating pack, which is just as well since it was a panacea for what’s hurting me.

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