Page 6 of Hollow Nights

“Are you wanting to know if I’ve seen you naked?” he asked, his brow raising as he grinned, the edges of his mouth curling higher as I paused. I nodded my head, already sensing the answer. He pushed from the wall and rotated me to face him as he towered over me. His eyes fell from mine to my body as I clutched the towel tightly. “Let’s just say you have nothing to be ashamed of.” His eyes rose back to mine. “And I say this confidently, having seen my fair share of naked women.” I gasped, jolting away from him.

“You have no right?—”

“I have every right. As my fleshbag, I can?—”

“Stop calling me that.” I stomped my foot, my breasts bouncing.

“Calling you what?” His eyes peeled from my breasts to my face, his claw scraping my jawline. “My fleshbag?”

I swallowed, standing my ground. “Yes. I don’t like it. It makes me sound…”

“Like a pound of flesh?” he asked, chuckling as he crossed his arms. “But you are, technically. All you humans are. You’re just fleshy bags of bones wandering around until disease or bad luck takes you out. That is, if your own stupid choices don't do it first. Besides, what else would I call you?”

“My name, which you obviously know.” I glared at him. “Come to think of it, what’s your name?” I jabbed my pointer finger in his direction as he just stood there, watching me. “You seem to know everything about me, but I know nothing about you. Give me your name, monster.”

“Oh? Demanding, are we?” He grinned as I remained firm, glaring and waiting. “Fine. My name is Axelle,” he bowed sarcastically, “and I am a monster. More specifically, I am a demon. A sleep demon.” He booped my nose with the tip of his tail. “Yoursleep demon.”

A sleep demon. Did that mean there were others just like him? Other sleep demons? If sleep demons were real, were there other kinds of demons and monsters?

“I can see the wheels turning in that pretty skull of yours. Why not just ask me the curious questions you have buzzing about in your brain?” I bit my lower lip, tempted. “Well, go on, I won’t bite—hard,” he purred softly.

“I guess I’m just trying to wrap my head around all of this. You say you’re my demon as in specifically for me, chained to my soul.” I looked down and noticed the long chain that hung from his neck and linked to me. “But how is this even possible? Why me?”

Axelle sighed. “Sleep demons are chained, literally, to the soul of their fleshba—human. We live off their fear, consuming it, feeding the toxic addiction we all have. Some of us,” he scratched his head, “are a bit more adventurous than the others.”

“Adventurous? What the fuck does that even mean?” I asked.

“Well, Libra, it means Ilikescaring you.” He stepped closer, using his tail to push me towards him. “Your fear is one of the most tasteful ones I’ve had in a long while. So, I have spent years pushing you further and further, almost daily, to taste it.”

“M-my fear?” I didn’t fight back, only listened.

“Mhm. You see, every human’s fear is different. Just like your scent, your blood, your cum?—”

“Oh, please, don’t.” I held my hand up to stop him. His tongue extended from his mouth and ran along my palm. I whipped it away and held it to my chest, disgusted.

“I’m not sure what it is about you, but your taste, your smell…” He inhaled deeply. “It’s all so intoxicating. Most humans have such boring lives, easily scared to the point of giving up, but not you, Libra. No, you’re different.” His voice altered as it deepened. “You are drawn to the shadows, welcoming it. You embrace it, thrive in it. You say you fear nightmares, but you dance in them, secretly enjoying the darkness.”

“I—I?—”

“As your sleep demon, I can see your soul, Libra. And I know for a fact it’s pitch-black, just like mine.” He was making me uncomfortable, uneasy.

“Go away!” I yelled, trying to lean away from him.

“Why? Don’t like hearing the truth?” He hissed. “Face it, Libra. You’re chained to me the same as I am to you. And now that I killed that pervert to protect you, you can’t escape me. There is no going away!” He yanked the chain, pulling the collar around his neck as he growled. “The best thing you can do is accept your fate and learn to live with it, just like me.”

“But why? I didn’t do anything! You broke whatever fucking rule. You should suffer, not me!” I tried to leave, but he forced me to stay put, clawing my shoulders.

“Thisismy punishment!” He shook my body. “The only reason you can even see me now is because I broke that fucking rule! So stop acting like you’re the only one suffering. We’re stuck in this torment together. I’m not going anywhere, so get used to it.”

Great, he breaks a demon rule, and I have to fucking deal with the consequences. How lucky for me.

Axelle eased up, releasing me as he stepped back, clawing at his face. He seemed miserable, enough so that I almost felt bad for him. My eyes became a bit too curious, grazing along his features. He was extremely built, his torso almost human-likeand covered in tattoos. He wore a leather, studded jacket, and everything was pierced, including his unnaturally long tongue, though nothing about him seemed natural. He was menacing, yet…kind of attractive.

Axelle’s eyes met mine, smiling as I noticed I was staring for too long. I glanced away, blushing. “What happened to your chest?” I pointed, trying to avert my eyes. Axelle glanced down, the wound I sliced across his chest now gone. “I cut you, with my knife. But it’s gone.”

He laughed dramatically. “I’m a demon, Libra. You can’t actually hurt or kill me, at least not with a fucking kitchen knife. My demon blood heals me.”

I tried to process what he was saying. “Your blood? How?”

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