Page 38 of Unbinding the Demon
“Please, don’t drop me.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
My heart pounded as I ever so slowly inched backward. The corner of his mouth turned up in a cruelly pleased half-smile while I continued to lean back even further. My feet were half on the cliff and half over the drop-off, with our locked arms holding my outstretched body above the crashing water below. It took a few minutes, but eventually, our arms were completely outstretched, holding my leaning frame over a watery grave.
This is absolutely bonkers!
“Good, now I want you to let go of my arms.”
“What! No fucking way, I—”
“Do it! I’ve got you.You can trust me,”he interrupted my frightened blubbering. There was a sinister gleam in his eyes, like a demon gazing at the object of his possession through a cursed looking glass.
The wind eerily blew through my ponytail and disheveled my bangs, as I stared at my murderous and downright insane boyfriend. Did I trust him not to drop me? No, I did not. But considering the position I was in, I didn’t want to aggravate him to the point of doing something irrational. After a long moment of hesitation, I released my grip on his arms, hoping for the best.
What in the world am I thinking? This is fucking nuts!
My gaze drifted to the swirling gray clouds above. Little beams of sunlight were breaking through the stormy shroud, allowing golden rays to pour out. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the roaring falls, the chirping of birds, and Belzar’s distant, angry barking. Even though I was suspended over a terrifying death, an unexpected sense of peace washed over me. I slowly began to trust that he wouldn’t drop me. However, I wasn’t so sure that I could trusthimafter this.
He gripped my arms a little tighter and then pulled me back up. We carefully stepped away from the edge. Once we were safe, he wrapped me up in an intimate embrace, cradling my trembling body against his for a moment. “Well done, Buttercup.” He grinned and gave me a quick kiss. “You see, you can trust me.”
“I feel like I might throw up.” I glanced at the ground with a nervous laugh.
He laughed with genuine joy, thrilled that I had complied with his horrifying stunt. I didn’t know what to say or do, so I kept laughing, which only made me feel more anxious as I tried to compose myself. The adrenaline coursing through my veins made it impossible to stop shaking. I worried that if he let me go now, I might actually stumble off the cliff and die. He sat on a stone and pulled me onto his lap. Large arms wrapped around my body and held me against his chest. We gazed out over the colorful mountainous view together, him with a look of serenity, and me looking like an electrocuted potoo.
“Thank you for trusting me,” he whispered, and then nuzzled his nose against the crook of my neck. I didn’t respond. I stared into the distance with a blank expression, determined to hold back my tears this time.
The shadow of night had gently enveloped the land in its dark embrace. I sat on the couch in the living room with my half-eaten bowl of carrot chickpea curry and homemade roti, watching mindless cartoons with Lacey and William. Pepper Paws and Esquire begged for my food even though I had already fed them. They meowed while rubbing back and forth along my legs, eager for a possible morsel. I was tempted to put the whole bowl on the floor and let them devour it. My nerves still hadn’t settled from what had happened earlier, and I didn’t have much of an appetite.
William“casually”stretched his arms up and landed one around my shoulders in an exaggerated manner. “So, tell me, babe. Are you going to eat that?” He grinned as he eyed my dish.
For fuck’s sake, he’s just as bad as the cats...
“It’s all yours.” I rolled my eyes with a smile.
“Yes!” He flung his arm off me and swooped the bowl from my hands.
I tried to focus on the show to get my mind off the day’s events, but my attempts were futile. William was still gobbling down my dinner, and Lacey had fallen asleep on the other side of the couch. So I quietly excused myself, grabbed my jacket, and went outside for some fresh air.
The moon was full and gently pouring its silvery light across the leaf-adorned lawn. A barred owl hooted nearby, and coyotes yipped in the distance. I gripped the porch railing and took a deep breath of the crisp night air as I despondently gazed up at the mystifying moon. The chilly breeze rustled through the trees and kissed my face, sending shivers down my spine in a way that brought more unease than comfort.
“What am I doing?”I whispered to myself while leaning on the railing, spreading my fingers across my forehead as though I had a throbbing headache.
Thoughts of calling it quits and moving back to my hometown ran wild through my mind. With everything considered, I wasn’t sure how things would go if I broke it off with Ashton and stayed in the valley. I didn’t think there’d be any avoiding him if I did that. It was times like these that I desperately wished Aunt Elowynn were still around. I could have really used some of her impeccable advice regarding my current situation. He had somehow managed to completely captivate me, and I did want to be with him. However, my infatuation was proving to be dangerous.He was dangerous.
The danger aspect usually only made him seem more alluring, but dangling me over a fucking cliff was crossing a serious line. Perhaps it was the push I needed to muster up enough common sense to end things with him? I mean, he had murdered someone, kidnapped and blackmailed me, was unpredictable, and had some major psychopathic tendencies. The guy didn’t just have a few red flags; he wore an entire red cape.
Maybe I’m just as batshit crazy for dating him in the first place?
My gaze drifted down to the dark shadows that danced beneath the trees. The blackened abyss beyond the treeline seemed to enchant me, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it. I stared warily but curiously, feeling as though unseen eyes were peering right back at me from the darkness. That all-too-familiar feeling crept over me, but this time, I felt as though it was meticulously weaving a hypnotic trance over my mind.
“Who’s there?”My voice was a whisper in the wind, almost lost to the breeze.
Although I knew rationally that no one was out there, it felt as though something sinister called back to me. It was as though the darkness was silently whispering into my soul, its unheard voice mingling with the ambient sounds of the night. It was beckoning me to enter the shadows. Asking me to succumb to it, to belong to it...
SLAM!
I jumped in terror with a small scream at the sound of the screen door slamming behind me. William had stepped outside to smoke a bowl of weed and let the door swing shut behind him at full force. He was still wearing his big hoop earrings, but the plain purple T-shirt, gray sweatpants, and messy bun on top of his head gave away that he intended to go to bed soon.
