Page 22 of Hollow Nights

“The opposite.” I scratched the bar with my claw. “She sent me away.”

“Sent you away?” she hissed, rising as her own chain hit the top of the bar, linked to the shiny silver collar around her neck. “Oh, Axelle, did you kill for your human? You know what happens to us sleep demons when we break the rules.”

“I know,” I growled, shooting her a look. “But Amity, he was going to hurt her?—”

“So? They’re humans. We’re not meant to interfere for a reason. The rules exist for a reason.” She tapped her violet, tattooed claw against the bar. “Let me guess: you care for your fleshbag.”

“It’s kind of hard not to when you spend every second of their lives with them,” I snapped. “You’ve been a sleep demon as long as I have. Are you really going to sit there and act like you’ve never grown attached to any of your humans?”

“Oh yes, you become fond of them. I mean, they’re fun to play with, our little fleshy toys to taunt and terrorize. It’s a shame we can’t touch them, though,” she purred. “Let me guess: you fucked yours!”

“Amity,” I growled.

“Oh, Axelle, you naughty little monster.” She pressed her tits harder against the bar, leaning over as her tongue ran along my face. “Was she tasty? Did you break her?” My tail pushed her tongue away. “Too bad you abandoned her. We could’ve had fun, the three of us.”

“I didn’t abandon her, Amity! And you’re not one to speak. I know you’ve broken the same rule yourself. With your most recent fleshbag—what is her name again?” Amity’s tail shot to my face, nearly piercing the underside of my chin.

“You don’t get to speak about her,” she snarled, gripping the bar so tight, her claws dug into the wood. “I made a mistake, Axelle. I broke the rules, also saving my fleshbag, but things went too far.” I hissed her a warning as she opened her mouth and growled back. “You better watch yourself.” She dropped her tail from my chin, crossing her arms. “If you’ve killed for your fleshbag, it’s only a matter of time before you start to care about more than just keeping her safe. Soon, if you don’t watch yourself, you’ll start to fall in love. And trust me,” she lowered her eyes, playing with her chain, “it never ends well. Demons and humans can’t coexist; that’s why there are rules.” She lookedback at me, her eyes filled with pain. “If you truly care for your fleshbag, you’ll let her go. She sent you away, so let another step in and take your place. Let her forget you.”

“Is that what you did?” I asked, pointing to her chain.

“No.” Her hand gripped the chain tight. “My fleshbag and I continued, thinking we could make things work. But then, she grew old, never taking another human home to her bed. She lived a long, healthy, lonely life because of me. Yes, we had each other, but she will die, and I will keep living, until the end of time.” She cleared her throat.

“If your human is really hanging on to her last few minutes, why don’t you take my place?” I grabbed her claw. “Please, Amity. If what you say is true and she doesn’t want me, take my place. Become Libra’s monster and take care of her. I don’t trust the other sleep demons; you know how they are. If you go back to her, I know she’ll be safe. And if I can’t be the one to protect…” I stopped, catching myself as my throat began to burn with an unfamiliar emotion.

“You really do care for her, don’t you?” I nodded.

“I’m fucked, aren’t I?”

She gently brushed my cheek with her claw. “Yes, you are. I’m sorry Axelle, but I can’t leave my human. The only reason her soul is safely still attached to mine is because she’s on death’s door. And when that time comes, I plan to be there when she takes her last breath, to be the last thing she sees. I may be her monster, but she is mine as well. Until the end.”

“I know,” I sighed. “She killed for me,” I stated, scratching the wooden surface of the demon bar.

“What?” Amity’s eyes lit up with surprise. “Your human?” I nodded.

“She said she didn’t want me to break another rule. To suffer.”

Amity scoffed. “Humans killing humans for demons. What a turn of events. She must really like having you around—or the way you fuck her,” she teased.

“It’s not just about the sex—which is phenomenal, by the way. Sleep demons may be addicted to fear, but fuck, dude…the sex.”

“Really, Axelle?” She raised a brow, rolling her eyes. “Look, if you really care for your human, why are you sitting around here, sulking in the demon world, leaving her open for any of us to step in and claim her? The longer you let her sleep, the stronger the call to her becomes. You know this.”

“She sent me away, Amity. Libra doesn’t want me—” The chain attached to my collar began to wiggle and pull.

“It looks like your fleshbag feels differently. Her soul is calling you.” The chain pulled tight, tighter than ever before. I wanted to run back to her, to be her demon again, but was Amity right?

“What if she tries to send me away again?” I asked, my chest filled with an aching pain. “What if she finds a human one day and lives a full life? Am I just supposed to accept that and sit there, shadowing her until she dies?”

“Pray she finds someone else with a sleep demon.”

“I’m serious, Amity.”

“You keep her safe, Axelle, no matter the direction of her life. And maybe some nights, you go back to old habits and give her a good fright.” She winked. “But you’re chained to her, Axelle. Her soul chose you when it was created. So don’t abandon her, even if she told you to go away. She needs you. Stick with her until the end, like a true sleep demon.”

Chapter 10

Libra

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