Page 86 of Unbinding the Demon
Eerie howls of blustering wind whistled through the room, mingling with the sounds of the crackling fire and occasional soft sobs from Gwendolyn. Each tear that fell from her glossy emerald eyes felt like a drop of scathing serpent’s venom dripping onto my heart and stinging it raw. Although she was either trying to hide or conquer her newfound fear of me, I could still hear her heart rate spike every time I moved. It was agonizing to know that my Buttercup was afraid of me and that I caused her pain. I wanted to pounce on top of her and lovingly canoodle all her fear and sorrow away. But that would probably just make it worse. So, all I dared to do was hold her and caress her, hoping to provide some sort of comfort.
My chest constricted as I glanced down at her crestfallen profile and the glistening trails that streaked down her bruised cheeks. I longed to kiss those tears away. And I also wanted to break every bone in Adelstein’s loathsome hands, then skin them and make him eat the skin as revenge for striking her. I had to suppress a growl that threatened to rumble from my chest while I examined her injuries from a distance.
My wrathful expression changed to one of heartfelt love as she turned to me. She looked up with a soft, sad smile. I was baffled by her sudden change of heart and surprised at how quickly she forgave me for killing Elowynn. Although I was delighted by it, I also found it strange and confusing.
“I love you,” I murmured, brushing a lock of chestnut hair behind her ear.
She looked delicate and beautiful as she gazed back into my eyes, but her complexion was pallid, and she seemed exhausted. “You still haven’t told me why you destroyed those cities,” she mentioned with a curious glimmer in her eyes.
A harrowing pain twinged in my heart when she didn’t say she loved me in return. I understood I would have to earn her love back, but it still hurt like a bitch. I lifted her chin with care to see her weary face in greater detail. “You should go to bed. I can tell you the story tomorrow.”
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion as they focused on me. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me.” She crossed her arms with a defiant expression.
I sighed with an adoring smile. Her feisty spirit was truly endearing. “I think you’re forgetting that I’m a...what did you call me again?Oh yeah, a gargantuan slab of demonic muscle, who can easily carry you up to the bedroom and force a sleep cycle on you,” I teased in a lighthearted tone.
Her eyebrows knitted in bewilderment. “What do you mean, you can force a sleep cycle on me?”
Oh shit. She doesn’t know about that yet. How do I explain this without having her think that I’m a giant whore?
She stiffened as I wrapped my arms even tighter around her, ensnaring her in my grasp. “Well, I’m half incubus.” I glanced up at the ceiling, contemplating my choice of words. “So I have the ability to make someone fall asleep so I can enter their dreams.” Her eyes widened, and I knew exactly what she was thinking, but I continued to speak, anyway. “That’s also why I can create an illusion that changes my appearance to hide my demonic features.”
I swooped her up bridal style and began carrying her to the bedroom. She didn’t fight me, but she didn’t hold on to me either. Her body was stiff and unmoving, like an awkward taxidermied animal. “Is that why, well, you see, I’ve been having these dreams... about you…” Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she struggled to ask about her erotic dreams.
“Those dreams were real.” I grinned as I cut off her words while turning to walk up the creaky steps. “Well, they were still only dreams, but I was really there, manipulating them.” I chuckled, then seductively growled and gnashed my teeth once at her.
“So it wasn’t because of the almonds, then?” she asked after a moment of hesitation.
I smiled with amusement. “No, my love, it wasn’t because of the almonds.”
Her lips formed a rigid line and her eyes flicked about, displaying a quirky, sheepish expression on her face. Spectral lunar beams streamed in through the windows, casting darkened shadows across the floor as we entered the bedroom. I placed her on the bed and tucked her in as if she were a porcelain doll that could shatter at any moment.
I grabbed Elowynn’s journal off the bed and placed it on the nightstand beside her. Then I paused as a realization hit me. Gwendolyn’s sudden change of attitude came right after I confirmed she had died. I glanced over at her cute but stern face, illuminated by the moonlight, as she pointed a finger at me with determination. “Don’t you dare make me fall asleep until you’ve told me about those cities. And now I’m curious about your half incu-whatever family too!” Her stare bore into me like a dagger, demanding that I tell her, or else.
I lifted my hands in defeat. “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you, but don’t blame me if you fall asleep on your own.” I eyed her with suspicion as I prowled around to my side of the bed, wondering if she had communicated with Elowynn on the other side. If that were the case, then I might be a lot closer to being unbound than I previously thought. And if I were unbound soon, Adelstein would be no more than a pathetic roach beneath my boot. Additionally, I’d have sufficient time to persuade her to return to Hell with me.
I grinned with malevolence as I slipped beneath the soft coverlet and wrapped her rigid frame in my arms. I tried not to purr in delight at the exquisite feeling of her warm, petite body pressed up against mine. Her sweet vanilla scent filled my senses as I took a deep breath and sensually ran my fingers through her soft hair.
She placed her tiny hands against my exposed chest and lightly attempted to push me away. “Um, maybe we shouldn’t sleep so closely pressed together.” Her eyes bashfully fluttered up to meet mine, with blushing cheeks.
“Oh, and why not?” I asked with a questioning glance. “I intend to keep you safe, don’t I? And there’s no safer place I can think of for you than in my arms.” I smiled and tightened my hold on her to let her know I had no intention of letting her go.
“Well, um, because your erection is pressing into my thigh.”
My attention shifted to my rock-hard cock, which was, in fact, pressing against her thigh. I looked at her with a heated gaze and felt her nipples harden through her shirt against my chest. She was aroused as well, but I knew it was just her body responding to mine. Even bound, my incubus energy was still strong enough to influence her unintentionally. There was no way she would be mentally in the mood right now. So, despite all my instincts telling me to rip her clothes off and furiously pound into her, I shifted my hips away, battling my desire. I kept my arms wrapped around her upper half, determined to hold her close.
“Don’t worry, I guarantee it will go away once I start talking about my family,” I joked while twiddling with a lock of her hair.
“Well, tell me about them then.” She studied me with an inquisitive look in her eyes. “I’ve been curious about your family for a while, but now I’m very curious.”
I sucked in a deep breath of the cold, dark air, contemplating where to begin. I hadn’t seen my family in a little over five thousand years, and I loved and missed them dearly. It was painful to think about them, and difficult not to wonder or worry about their well-being. If they were still alive, they probably assumed I was dead by now. I desperately wanted to let them know what had happened to me, why I disappeared, and that I was, for the most part, okay.
I smiled over at Gwendolyn and began. “Well, my father is of noble blood. The equivalent of what would be considered a duke in this world, and a highly esteemed and well-respected warlord. He is of the dracrulian race, which was created to specialize in violence and combat. They’re infamous for their fierce savagery and craving for carnage. He is exceptionally cruel to his enemies, revels in killing, and has a fearsome reputation in Hell.”
“Jeez, he sounds really fucking scary. What’s his name?” Her big green eyes peered over at me, resembling a child engrossed in a frightening fairy tale.
“His name is Zagialith.” I shrugged. “He may sound scary, but he’s a good father, and I love my dad. Also, you wouldn’t need to be afraid of him in the slightest bit, considering I hope to make you my bride.” I grinned, and she shyly shifted her gaze up to the ceiling. “My mother, Irethyiel, is a skilled healer and a succubus, which is the female version of an incubus. She met my father after he was injured on the battlefield. They fell in love as she tended to his wounds, and soon after that, they got married. Then they had my older sister, Scrayla, then me, and then my younger brother, Dantiliak.”
I caressed her arm while I shared nostalgic stories about my family and childhood. She seemed to enjoy hearing about Satnakium, the fiery kingdom I grew up in. Her soft giggling echoed through the room as I recounted stories about disastrous family holidays. I also laughed as I told her about how Dantiliak and I formed a mischievous duo that often played pranks on and frightened our poor sister.
