Page 58 of The Devil and His Goddess

Thinking back on each moment and now knowing who I’d done all of that with had my heart leaping over itself and heat rushing through my limbs. Part of me found excitement in realizing it had been Perseus all along, but the other part was embarrassed and confused. I’d worked hard to ignore the draw to him only to have already crossed that line without realizing it.

A knock came at my door. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound. The last time I’d heard a knock on the door, I’d opened it to a supposed friend that actually wanted to hurt me. If it wasn’t for Perseus’s deep voice calling my name, I wasn’t sure I’d have the courage to open it this time.

The version of Perseus that appeared on the other side was the one I knew best—bright green eyes, long fingers without black nails, and a head of nothing but golden waves. The sight made an eruption of warmth bloom in my gut, and the sensation only amplified as my gaze landed on his still shirtless body.

Clearing my throat, I opened the door wider to let him in and shut it behind us. “Did you find him? Is he really gone?”

Perseus stood in the center of my room as I leaned against the closed door.

“He’s gone,” he answered. “I checked the whole house and even a bit into the woods around the place. I couldn’t smell him anywhere or find him. And trust me. If he were still here, I’d smell him.”

I inhaled sharply as my wide eyes stayed locked on his. “You really are a-a demon,” I muttered softly. “Aren’t you?”

A muscle ticked in his jaw, and his gaze fell away from mine. “I am.”

I’d expected the answer. Hell, Iknewthe masked figure was a demon. But hearing Perseus confess it so plainly still made my knees nearly buckle. I took a deep breath and let my weight rest against the door.

I wasn’t sure which situation had me more shaken up—Drake’s invasion and near-attack or Perseus’s admission of his real identity.

“And you’ve been the one …” I licked my lips before finishing, “visitingme?”

Perseus’s fists clenched at his sides as he went to my window. His bare, sculpted back was all I could see as he seemed to search the night beyond. “Yeah, and apparently, I’m not the only one. I never sensed anything nefarious from him at work. Occasionally, there were …worrisomescents from people at work, but those smells don’t always mean something dangerous. I never expected the source to be him and for him to have intentions like this.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to rub the sudden chill from my arms. “Me, neither. I knewsomeonehad been sending me texts and voicemails, but … I never expected it to be Drake. I also didn’t think the person had the courage to actually approach me, let alone …”

The words describing tonight’s events died on my tongue. Perseus looked back at me then. He straightened and slowly closed the distance between us. His hand started to reach toward me, but at the last second, he closed his hand and dropped it to his side.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. I worried my lip before whispering, “What if he comes back?”

“Let him fucking try. I’ll rip him limb from limb and toss him into Hell,” Perseus snarled. His green eyes darkened at the edges like they were about to go black-and-red again.

Seeing his eyes briefly go dark had my thoughts redirecting to the veryrealdemon I had in front of me. I should’ve been horrified that an intruder had been swapped for a spawn of malice, but all I felt was curiosity and wonder.

Studying his eyes, I asked, “Are you able to change into your … I don’t know what you call it. Demon form? Are you able to change that quickly?”

He held my gaze with a slight frown on his usually upturned lips. Instead of answering me verbally, he stood still while black horns appeared in his hair, his fingers sharpened into black talons, and his green eyes swirled with inky blackness until dark voids with a slash of red in the middle met mine.

My lips parted on a surprised gasp, but I didn’t turn away. I inched closer to look over all the new features he suddenly wore, as though seeing them for the first time.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Perseus grumbled as I picked up one of his hands to run the tips of my fingers over the claws.

His deep voice came out somber, like he expected me to shun him now that I knew the truth.

“It’s not my first time seeing a demon,” I teased with a small laugh. “You exposed yourself to me a while ago. I’ve had time to understand that …demonsexist. Though, I’ll admit. It’s surreal realizing thatheis actuallyyou.”

The frown he wore deepened, and he looked away from me. “I guess the fantasy is ruined now that you know who is under the mask.”

“I wouldn’t use the word, ‘ruined.’”

His black-and-red eyes flicked back to mine. “What word would you use?”

There were many words I could choose—complicated, sexier,better. Instead of telling him any of them, I asked, “How did you know I have a mask fantasy?”

His lips twitched like they were going to crack into one of his usual playful grins, but the frown won out. “I’m an Incubus. Figuring out a person’s sexual fantasy is nothing for me.”

“An Incubus? Isn’t that a—”

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