Page 20 of Dark Rapture
His head lowers just enough to brush his lips against mine, the ghost of a lover’s kiss. “All you have to do is bind your soul to me.”
I frown up at him. I just cannot fathom what a Great Prince of Hell could possibly gain from acquiring my soul. I am nothing. No one.
“All that you are is mine to know, Selene. From your history, to your future, to every corridor of your brilliant mind.”
Is this demon trying to tell me that I am a powerful, natural born witch with a limitless fountain of magic hidden inside of me? Locked away, requiring a key. I still cannot fathom how any of this benefits him, or how an ordinary girl like me can have potential like this.
“After I bind your soul to me, you will awaken as a witch, and your power will strengthen mine.”
I listen to every word he is saying, trying my hardest to understand what he is attempting to explain. This sounds like a fairy tale, or a wild nightmare. If it weren’t for all of the paranormal experiences I’ve been having lately, some of which I’ve shared with other people, I’d be certain I was simply trapped in a state of psychosis. That none of this could possibly be real.
“As above, so below. My power from below will amplify yours, and your power from above will amplify mine. Do you understand?” It takes me a minute to make sense of his explanation, but eventually it clicks.
“My soul will connect you to the world above you, to the universe beyond your domain in Hell.” I state with certainty, unsure where that sudden burst of knowledge came from.
He smiles, and nods. “Already my magic has taken root in you. I am the teacher, and omniscience is my birthright.”
“Why me? There has to be someone better for you than me? I am no one.”
He laughs gently, a darkly musical but masculine sound. “I told you, there is nothing I do not know. I know everything about you, and what you harbor within.”
He leans down towards me, pressing his lips against mine. The kiss is just firm enough to feel soft, yet demanding. He takes my mouth as though he owns it, and I guess he believes he does. I cannot help but kiss him back, because despite everything, it feels good. He feels good.
Even though I know he is manipulating my feelings, I’ll take this over fear any day.
Demon, Great Prince of Hell, inhuman entity… regardless of all those things, he has never actually harmed me. He has only promised safety, power and protection. He knew I couldn’t handle his true form, so he is protecting me from it now.
Sure, he has scared the living hell out of me. I’m not sure if that was his intention or an act of malice on his part, it’s just the nature of dealing with a demon. Before this year, supernatural things didn’t exist to me.
I was raised Catholic, which means I was taught to fear the Devil and the hell that awaits us if we do not follow God’s commandments. Before I decided to become a witch, I realized that doing so would lead me away from the church and away from God’s light.
God never saved me, he never helped me, he never made me feel loved. So why did I still feel loyal to him? Daemon is offering me everything I want and need, all I have to do is let him in.
Unlike God, this entity standing before me in his human form is tangible. Present. He’s the only thing that has proven itself to be real, beyond the little spells I have cast since starting my journey as a witch.
I’ve lit candles with my words, and called my ancestors to me to help protect me. I’ve found success in those things. What can I achieve if I bind myself to this demon and allow him to awaken my true potential?
Will letting him in damn me to eternal torment in hell, just as I was taught would happen when I was a child?
“You will never suffer damnation. When your time on earth is done, and you’ve weaved the threads of the universe down from the stars, and rooted them in me, you will join me in our own personal heaven.”
What if he is lying?
“I have nothing to gain in lying to you. If I want you, I can take you whether you let me in or not. You will feel unbearable pain if I possess you, and eventually die, because demons cannot inhabit humans for long without tearing their souls to shreds.”
I wince at the thought, but that revelation only confuses me again. He’s inside my head, I can feel him. Listening to my thoughts, flipping through them like the pages of a book.
“Let me in. Let me love you,” he says, his voice shifting tone rapidly, briefly sounding as though he is not just one being, but a legion of demons inhabiting one single body. “Let me in so that I can unlock what is within you. I can set you free.”
Love me?
“A love you cannot even fathom, so deep and true that it can never end. No force could take you from me, not even death.”
I have so many questions. So many it makes my head ache even more than it did before.
This is a lot to digest.
I watch him warily. “I don’t know what to think, what to do, what to feel.”
