Page 62 of Demons of Eden

When the demon appears by the far wall, right about the spot where he left before, I’m in the middle of imagining him choking to death. Poison seems like a good way to kill him, or it wouldbe if I could only get my hands on something demons can’t consume. A challenging prospect for someone who’s currently trapped in a damn rune-covered fucking box.

“You have barely touched your food,” the demon says in lieu of an actual greeting.

“I don’t know about you, but being kidnapped and threatened doesn’t do much for my appetite.” The only reason I’d forced myself to eat any of it was for the baby. That and the fact I absolutely wouldn’t put it past him to force-feed me if I attempted a hunger strike.

“You should make more of an effort for your unborn child,” Paimon chastises me as he makes his way across the room, coming to loom over me. “Sitting on the floor is also quite the choice. Is the bed not to your liking?”

“Nothing of yours isto my liking,and if you supposedly care so much about the wellbeing of my child, you should let me go,” I retort, not holding back any of my irritation. Even if I go the sympathetic route to gain his trust enough for his guard to slip so I can kill him, it would be suspicious for me to flip so soon.

Little steps, Eden. Pave the road before you walk it. Just try not to attempt stabbing his eyes out with your nails every time he speaks.

“I think we both are well aware I won’t be doing that. I have had one child stolen from me already, I will not accept another loss.”

“No one can stealthis babyfrom you because they’re not yours,” I remind him, glaring up in his direction. I barely hold myself back from lunging, instead forcing myself to try another tactic. As much as I doubt it’ll work given his actions so far, I’m willing to try anything while playing the long game, including trying to reason with the clearly insane and unreasonable. “Surely you want one that’s actually your child, or at least thesame kind of demon as you. What good is a baby incubus or succubus to an iracae, really?”

“Attempting to convince me of what I do or do not desire?” Paimon drawls, an ugly expression on his stupidly delicate features. “I was not born yesterday, witch.”

“I’m just pointing out the obvious.” I shrug. “It seems weird to me that you’d want this baby over having another one of your own?—”

“Get up,” he orders abruptly, the sharpness of it startling me despite how constantly aware I am of the danger he poses.

No amount ofpolite conversationcould make me forget what he is. A powerful demon who feeds on the act of death itself, one who chooses to take that need to its extremes based on the little I've been told about him. There are demons of his kind who choose to feed on the sacrifice of plants or bugs. However, this one has a reputation for murder, and for being so dangerous even demon hunters fear him.

Paimon is likely the most deadly thing I’ve ever been this close to. For now, though, it’s not as if he can kill me without losing what he wants, so I figure a tiny little rebellion won’t change that.

“No,” I retort. “Go irritate someone else. Don’t you have any demon friends you can harass?”

“Stand,” he says coldly, stepping even closer, an obvious threat as he repeats, “Stand, or I will make you stand.”

I weigh my options for a moment before slowly dragging myself to my feet. I’d rather the freak doesn’t have an excuse to touch me. “Satisfied?”

“I will be once we’re done.”

“Done with what?” I question, right as a strange contraption appears in the centre of my prison. The sight of it makes me sidestep, trying to put space between me and him. His arm appears, hand against the wall to block my path.

“Where do you think you’re going? Aren’t you excited to meet your child?”

My eyes dart over to the thing.Fuck.This is the acceleration he was talking about. It seemed like he’d needed more time, but I guess he decided to prioritise finishing his fucking preparations, whatever those entailed. Fucking great. It looks like I might not have the time to play the long game after all...

“It cannot be safe to do this,” I protest, silently praying to anyone who will listen that he wants them alive enough not to do something so obviously risky.

“It’s hardly ideal, but should the process cause complications, I am sure you will survive so that we may try again,” he replies, giving me a cruel, twisted smirk. “This time, with a child of my own, as you so graciously suggested.”

My hand is flying towards him before I can process it. It slaps right across the side of his face before I scrape my nails into the flesh of his cheek, clawing down through it with a surprising amount of ease. Surprising, that is, until I see the dark colour on what should be unpainted nails, then it becomes frozen horror instead.

In my moment of shock, he grabs the offending hand and twists my arm so he can hold my fingers out to inspect them. I try to pull free, twisting my body and yanking on my arm with all my might, but his grip is like iron. I kick his legs, and the bastard only laughs, not losing any of his stability.

“What do we have here…the first visible signs of your metamorphosis?”

Metamorphosis?

All of the things he’s said, along with what the others have said and what I knew already, start to line up in my head. They paint an unsettling picture. The baby will change me; I’ve always known that. I’ll need to feed on vitav, possibly even after they’reborn. But saying I’ll become better, that I’ll improve. Asking abouthornsgrowing in…

“Am I turning into a fucking demon?” That’s more than adopting a few demon traits or characteristics. How can sleeping with Ash have turned—be turning—me into another damn species?

“Not quite. You’ll be a partial demon. I suppose that would be the most accurate way of putting it. Though you won’t have the raw power of your child, of course.”

Oh hell. Ash and I aredefinitelygoing to be having a talk about this whenever I get the fuck out of here…

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