Page 40 of The Oni's Heart

The Oni’s voice was a roar in the back of my mind. "She belongs to whoever can take her. You’re too weak, too human. I will take what I want."

Momoi’s smile grew, and she tilted her head again, her gaze almost challenging. "Is that so? Well, I guess I’m just going to have to enjoy watching you two fight for my attention, then."

That did it.

I don’t know what broke inside of me, whether it was the demon or the desire to make her understand just how much this wasn’t a game, but a wave of frustration washed over me. I wanted to break free of this, to push away from this battle, but instead, it intensified. I could feel myself slipping further into the madness, the darkness wrapping around me like a shroud.

Momoi, though... she was still watching, her amusement a flame dancing just out of reach, taunting me. She hadn’t run. She wasn’t scared. She was feeding it. She was feeding the demon inside me, and I couldn’t stand it.

"Stop it," I hissed through clenched teeth, my voice a mix of human desperation and demonic rage. "Stop watching. This isn’t?—"

But it was already too late. The demon inside me didn’t care what I said. It only wanted her.

Before I could even fully process the situation, the Oni surged forward, pulling me toward her with an intensity that left me breathless. My hands, no longer my own, gripped her arms tightly, forcing her into my chest. The moment our lips met, a dark, hungry part of me that I’d tried to bury came to life, taking control with a brutal force.

She gasped, but before she could pull back, I deepened the kiss, my lips claiming hers as if I had every right to. Every rational thought vanished in a rush of primal hunger. Her warmth, her pulse, the scent of her skin—it all consumed me. My body wasn’t mine to command anymore. It was as if the demon had marked her as his own.

I could feel Tatsuya, the man I had once been, screaming inside me, raging with jealousy and fury. He hated this—hated that I was taking what should never be mine. But the demon didn’t care. It only wanted more, dragging me deeper into the kiss, its power pushing against every shred of control I had left.

I was caught between the man I used to be and the beast that wanted her, being torn in two. Tatsuya was screaming, furious that the demon was claiming her—hiswoman. But the Oni? He wasn’t concerned with Tatsuya’s feelings. He reveled in the sensation of her closeness, her vulnerability, her surrender.

Her hands pushed weakly against my chest, but she didn’t break away. And that, more than anything, infuriated me. She wasn’t fighting, not like I expected. Instead, she was letting it happen, even if only for a moment.

The sensation of her lips against mine ignited something darker inside me. And that little voice in the back of my mind—the one that belonged to Tatsuya—screamed,Stop. This isn’t who you are. This isn’t what you want.

But the demon only growled, the words thick with hunger.She’s mine. All mine.

A surge of rage mixed with jealousy overwhelmed me, but I couldn’t stop. My hands, the demon’s hands, tugged her closer, forcing the kiss to deepen. The line between Tatsuya and the Oni blurred more with every second. This wasn’t a kiss. This was a claim.

Somewhere deep inside, I knew this was wrong. This wasn’t who I was meant to be. But the demon? It was taking everything I had to hold back from devouring her completely.

I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could take.

23

Between Fire and Flesh

MOMOI

Icould feel it—the heat, the dark thrill of the kiss. His lips were brutal, demanding, but underneath all that, there was something else. Tatsuya. I knew he was still there, hidden somewhere beneath the surface, torn apart by the beast the Oni had become. It should have been wrong, and yet... I couldn’t stop myself from sinking into the kiss, letting the wave of fire and fury overtake me. It felt like the collision of two worlds, two versions of him battling for control.

And I loved it.

I shouldn’t have. I knew I shouldn’t. But as his hands gripped me tighter, pulling me deeper into the kiss, there was a spark, a thrill of something forbidden, something dangerous. I felt the pull between the man I knew and the monster that took over. Both of them—Tatsuya and the Oni—fought for my attention, and somehow, I was caught in the middle.

Was it wrong for me to want them both? To feel that strange pull toward both sides of him? The tenderness of Tatsuya’s broken soul and the raw, consuming hunger of the Oni wereat odds with one another, but something about that tug-of-war sparked a fire inside me.

I finally pulled away, breathless, my heart racing. The world seemed to stop for a moment as I tried to regain control of myself. His eyes—those eerie yellow eyes—burned into me, and I could see the internal struggle in them. He wasn’t just fighting to control the demon inside. He was fighting me, too.

“Enough,” I whispered, my voice shaky but commanding. I stepped back, putting a small distance between us, though the tension in the air was palpable.

The Oni’s breath was ragged, and his fangs glinted in the dim light. But I could see the flicker of confusion in his gaze. And beneath that, a surge of anger.

I crossed my arms, steeling myself, knowing I was playing with fire but unwilling to back down now.

“If you really want to keep me,” I said, my voice a bit firmer, “then you're going to have to figure out how to get us both out of this mess because I can’t go back to my apartment with you like this. Not when they’re still looking for me, not withyouin this form.”

I could see the demon’s rage bubble up, but I pressed on, knowing it was the only way to reach him.

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