Page 36 of Monster's Delight

He raised me from the floor with one hand under my chin and swept me into his arms, his wings curling slightly to hide us from view. I wondered how he’d magicked them to do that.

“My lady, you bow to no one,” he told me, his breath fanning over the wolf’s bite. “Except, perhaps, to me when we are alone in the darkness.”

I searched the demon’s eyes, looking for a spark of amusement, that he wasn’t serious, and didn’t find it. “What makes you think I’ll submit to you?” I asked, lifting my chin in defiance.

He grinned, showing perfect white teeth. “We were meant for each other, my lady, whether you know it or not. I am drawn to you beyond all others and see through your disguise, Queen Marie Antoinette.”

Relief rushed through me. He was acting the part of the demon, just like every other costumed reveler at the party. I decided to play along. “You’ve found me out, my lord demon. My soul is yours to claim.”

His eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly hid it behind a leer. “I claim souls with two kisses, one now and one at the end of the evening.”

My breath caught in my throat at his audacity, but I tilted my head obligingly, half-closing my eyes in anticipation.

“You are so innocent,” he groaned.

I felt sharp fingernails digging lightly into the skin of my face, holding me steady.

“I lay my intent to claim your soul with this kiss,” he murmured, every word clear in my ears as if we were alone in the ballroom.

And then his lips were on mine.

I expected to taste the paint, or at the very least smell it, but there was no residue lingering in the air. Instead, it felt like kissing any other guy, other than the fact that I couldn’t feel my body because every nerve was fizzing.

Claim my soul indeed,I thought, clinging to his shoulders as he plundered my mouth, drinking from me as though he were dying of thirst.

The taste of him coated my tongue as it danced with his, not paying attention to the rhythm of the song, but instead listening to some primal beat that only we could hear.

When he at last pulled away, I whimpered desperately, needing more from him.

“You are delectable,” the demon said, licking his lips with a long forked tongue that definitely had not been the one in my mouth two seconds before.

I stared at his mouth not so subtly and he grinned, flashing his white teeth again. “You like my costume?”

“Very much.” I dragged my gaze from his face down his body, fully appreciating the artistry, both of his costume and his body. “How did you manage to get the body paint so... symmetrical?” I asked, touching the outlines of his abdomen on either side.

He hissed slightly, and I wondered briefly if he was ticklish.

“My roommate specializes in the artistic side of the academy. Camouflage, embedding magic into art, you know, that sort of thing. He painted me with an airbrush, using magic to make it part of my skin. Kind of like a tattoo, except this will come off and waswayless painful.”

He spun me out, and pulled me back in so quickly that I had to catch myself on his chest.

“And the wings?” I asked, a trifle breathlessly.

“He made them and painted them. They’re magically attached to my shoulder blades and move when I do. It took some practicing before I could do this.”

Once again, we were enclosed in the snug cocoon of his wings as we swayed to the music.

“How much of your body did he paint?” I asked slyly, hoping for a peek into his pants. I almost took back the question, horrified at my boldness. There was something about being masked that gave me the courage to speak my mind without my brain thinking about the consequences first.

His eyes twinkled. “Only a bit below the edge of my pants, in case they shift with my movement.”

“I should thank your roommate for doing such an amazing job,” I said. “He went above and beyond, or should I say below and beyond?”

The demon laughed, the least evil sound I’d ever heard. “Actually, his professor graded him before the dance started. It was strange to be examined so thoroughly by a complete stranger. But you must tell me about your costume. Did you make it yourself?”

“A friend of mine explained how to sew it together, but I did it all myself. My roommate did my hair for me, though.”

The demon spun me slowly in a circle, and I felt his eyes like a brand on my skin as he took me in from every angle.

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