Page 8 of The Demon

“Have you ever known fear?” I stare him straight in the eye and see a flicker of something I recognize, which tells me he knows only too well what fear tastes like.

“I live with fear, I embrace fear and Iamfear.”

His dark response saddens me, and I’m surprised to experience a strong urge to offer him comfort for that.

“You can’t help me.” I lower my eyes.

“I disagree.” His soft touch is doing crazy things to my mind as he gently traces a path across my lips, inserting his finger inside and dragging the moisture across them.

“I can help you, Eliza, but first I need to know what I’m agreeing to.”

“Delores Brown. I told you.”

I lift my eyes to his and note my body relaxing and coming back to me as the effects of the pressure point wear off. As it relaxes, it folds toward his and as our skin connects, my breath hitches at what that does to me inside.

He appears not to notice though and his eyes glitter with danger as he says huskily, “I am your last chance, Eliza. I am the one who can lift you away from the madness. I am the one who will get you through, and I am the one who will destroy your enemies. You just need to trust me.”

“Trust?”

I shake my head and laugh bitterly.

“You’re a fool. Trust no one. That’s the golden rule when you live in my world, and why would I trust a man who has almost sent me to my death?”

“Because we want the same thing, perhaps?”

I’m not sure what he means and I sure as hell don’t trust him, so I turn my head away and hate how broken I sound as I sigh, “Just kill me now if you’re going to. I am Delores Brown, and I don’t give a fuck what happens next.”

CHAPTER5

MALIK

Ialmost had her and for a second, I thought I’d done it. Unlocked the last door of resistance and stepped inside. As she turns away, I can almost taste my disappointment. Why is she so scared? There must be something so terrible waiting for her that she would rather protect whoever is holding Frankie than save her own life. I rely on a person’s will to survive when I’m torturing them. I count on it in fact, but its obvious death is preferable to Eliza than whatever is waiting for her.

When I came to find her she was unconscious and struggling to breathe. Her body was shutting down and she probably wouldn’t last the night. Lack of food, drink and being exposed to the elements took her to the edge of life and I recognized the need for warmth to bring her back to me. It’s what I love; testing the human body to its limit and it’s what I promised to do. I excel at it, and there was never any doubt that I would fail to bring her round, but I had hoped she would be a little more forthcoming with the information I need.

However, she is stronger than some men I have interrogated and whatever is bothering her is causing her to build a solid wall between us. I wish I had more time to discover what has broken this beauty, but I need answers and fast. So, I conclude that I need to change direction and believe that kindness will go a lot further in getting me what I want.

Going against my usual practices, I sit up and take a knife from the bedside drawer. She turns and the fear in her eyes gives me a moment’s satisfaction as I lean over her and hold the knife to her throat, loving how her breath hitches and her pupils dilate as I nick the skin with my blade. I can’t help myself because this is foreplay for me and as I drag the blade against her skin, her nipples pebble revealing how turned on she is and her eyes flicker as I rest it against her breast and whisper darkly, “Do you like that, my angel?”

“You’re out of your fucking mind.” She growls and as my knee parts her thighs, I reach down and coat my finger with her wet trail. Lifting my finger to her lips, I insert it into her mouth and love the way her pupils dilate as she sucks slowly.

“Your desire betrays you, Eliza.”

“You’re really going to kill me?” If anything, she merely looks interested and I gently press the blade against her lips and spill the smallest drop of blood and wipe it away with my finger, tasting it, causing her to shift beneath me. Her small moan tells me she’s loving this, and I briefly wonder how far I should go. Pleasure and pain are an interesting combination that I’m guessing would unleash the sleeping beast inside this courageous woman who is struggling to remain in control.

I lift the blade and whisper, “Do you fear pain, Eliza?”

“No.”

Her eyes flash defiantly, causing me a pleasure I wasn’t expecting. I point the knife edge to the jagged scar above my heart and say huskily, “See this wound.”

Her eyes widen and she nods.

“I did this to myself.”

Her breath hitches as I run the blade against the jagged edges of skin that healed the wound without medical attention.

“I made a pact. A blood pact with my brothers.”

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