Page 83 of Unbinding the Demon
I scrambled to stand up, then turned the water off. Small beads of water clung to my skin and induced shivers throughout my entire body, adding extra tremors to my already shaking frame. I jumped out of the shower and reached for my favorite fluffy red towel. I wrapped myself up in its snug embrace, then rushed down the hall and into the bedroom. I began rummaging through all the useless junk in my nightstand drawer like a crazed lunatic.Come on, where is that fucking journal!?I slammed the drawer shut in frustration, then rushed over to the bookshelf. My eyes scanned over all the weird knick knacks and books until they landed on the little green journal.
Bingo!
I snatched the journal up, then sat down on the bed, searching through it with a sense of desperation. My hands trembled as they flipped through the slightly yellowed pages. Water dripped from my soaking hair, leaving little wet spots on the velvety coverlet, but I was too busy hyperventilating to notice or care. My crazed eyes raced across the last pages, and I gasped as a very shocking realization hit me like a pile of bricks.
Oh my god... She wants me to unbind the demon.
35. Letting the Pages Burn
God motherfucking dammit!
My fatigued arm struggled to lift the small journal above my head; then I slammed it down onto the bed. The book bounced on the crimson coverlet, with the yellowed pages fluttering around. I huffed and fell backward onto the bed next to it. My damp hair fanned out around my head while my weary eyes stared up at the crack in the ceiling with a sense of despair.
I can’t believe this shit.
I had spent the last hour and a half locked away, hiding in the bedroom like a little frightened hermit crab, crying and obsessively reading and re-reading the stupid journal. There was no way around it. Each time I re-read the damn thing, it became even more evident. She wanted me to unbind that unscrupulous jerk!
The only thing that still made little sense was that, in the dream, Aunt Elowynn had said we were in the realm of the dead. But I didn’t understand how that could have been possible when I was still perfectly alive. My head throbbed as I wondered whether or not the dream was real and if I’d have to forgive and unbind him like she asked. If it had been real, I’d do it for her.
I sighed and closed my eyes, allowing my thoughts to drift. I asked myself, out of all the odd scenarios I could have ended up in, why couldn’t it have been my secret pirate fantasy?The one where I’m a princess being held for ransom by a group of unruly marauders. Then, a mysterious, sexy lone pirate swings in on a rope from his ghost ship and beats them all up. He then kidnaps me, and we make love while sailing off into the sunset together... I giggled with a mischievous, lustful smile.Oh, yes... Nothing quite like a devilishly handsome pirate... Mhmm...My eyes snapped open, and I furrowed my brows.
Focus, Gwendolyn, focus! Now’s not the time to get lost in your stupid pirate fantasy!
I sat up and, lost in thought, then plucked some cat hair off my black tank top and red sweatpants to distract myself from my harsh reality. Once my clothing seemed plucked clean, I stood up on my wobbly legs and paced back and forth with what little energy I had left. The cold floorboards creaked beneath me as I thought of my plan.
I would go downstairs and ask Ashton if I had died. If he said yes, then that would mean the dream was real. In that case, I’d hear him out and try to forgive him. He had just saved my life, after all, and I trusted Aunt Elowynn would know what was best for me. From there, I’d determine if I should unbind him. But if he said no, I’d walk away and never speak to him again...Seems like a solid plan.
I opened the bedroom door with a creak, and I gulped as I stared out into the dark hallway, my heart racing. He was still the “man” I had spent the last two months with, and he hadn’t hurt me thus far. But I was intimidated and shocked by the whole“Surprise! Your boyfriend’s actually the bloodthirsty demon who destroyed several cities”thing. I was apprehensive about his reaction to my previous harsh words. And frankly, I still hated his fucking guts for what he’d done and was ready to lay into him again just for the hell of it. But it was nerve-wracking to face him. He could very easily kill me if he decided to, after all.
I scurried over to the stairs and took a careful peek over the railing and down into the foyer. There was a dim light shining across the wooden floor coming from the living room. I crept down the stairs, mindful of each creaky step I took. The more I descended, the more panicked and anxious I felt. My breathing became strained, and my heart pounded hard in my chest. I paused halfway down and put my trembling hands over my face to compose myself.
Get a grip, you pathetic pansy on tenterhooks!
After a few deep breaths, I realized there was no way I was going to swallow my anxiety. It would be better to suck it up and get it over with. So, I inched the rest of the way down, gathering my courage, then turned to walk into the living room. A strong feeling of fear and dread settled over me, and it felt more like I was about to approach the gallows than my boyfriend.
I hesitated before crossing through the archway into the warmly lit living room. Ashton was sitting on the floor next to Belzar, who was still lying on the couch. He had gotten all cleaned up and looked human again. He and Belzar were both examining the book and appeared to be engaged in a discussion. Pepper Paws was also there, curled up against Belzar’s side, his eyes closed in contentment.
Both sets of golden, ethereal eyes snapped up at me, causing me to freeze in place. Even though their body language was calm and non-threatening, it still felt like I had just caught the attention of two mephistophelian predators. Which, in all reality, was the case. Ashton gave me a slight smile, his eyes filled with sorrow and longing. Belzar also looked sad. His pitiful puppy dog eyes gazed at me with wistfulness, and he let out a soft whimper.
Unfortunately, the heart-rending sight of them did nothing to calm my nerves. My anxiety crippled all the confidence I had mustered up while in the bedroom. The words I had planned to say seemed to have gone “poof”and disappeared into thin air.
As I stood there, struggling to recall what I was going to say, I became increasingly fidgety and shifted back and forth on my heels, twiddling my thumbs like a nervous weirdo. My wary, crazed eyes shifted around as I tried to suppress my growing panic. Ashton watched my strange behavior with an unwavering gaze. It was as if he were studying my every move and trying to find some obscure secret hidden within my soul.
“So, um, did I...die?” I asked while shrugging with my palms up, creating a sudden shift in the awkward moment.
He raised a curious brow, as if that was not what he was expecting me to say at all. “Not recently,” his deep voice rumbled.
Not recently? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What do you mean,not recently?”
He tucked a strand of damp hair behind his ear. “I mean, you did die of an overdose the night you were drugged at the club, but that wasn’t too recent,” he stated matter-of-factly.
My eyes widened in shock, and my mouth fell agape. I stared over at him with that stunned, unflattering facial expression for almost a full minute before I could bring myself to speak again. “Then how am I alive?” I stuttered, feeling a tightness in my chest.
He sighed and traced the floral pattern on the couch with his finger, his movements slow and disengaged. “I had just enough power to bring you back.”
A strange flurry of emotions came over me upon hearing that. I felt overwhelming happiness because that confirmation implied the dream had been real. Which meant I had actually seen Aunt Elowynn again, and she was watching over me. But I was also downright furious because that meant she had asked me to forgive and unbind Ashton, and Ireallydidn’t want to do that. Even though I trusted she knew what was best for me, the mere thought of it still boiled my blood. I mean, he was the one who killed her, for fuck’s sake!
