But, if they had any brains or heart, once they had caught Jinx they would have seen he was lovely. There was no need to hurt him, to scare him. They should have just let him go. Mourned their friends as idiots and got on with their lives. Their intentions may have been good, but the road to hell was paved with those. It didn’t earn them forgiveness.
I threw open the car door and jumped out. Jinx scrambled after me.
“You can stay in the car, if you like.”
The demon scowled at me, shaking his head so vigorously that it sent his long dark hair flying. A feral malevolent gleam in his eyes made me grin. It was lovely to see him feeling more confident. Hopefully, our little night time mission would make him feel a whole lot better. I really didn’t like the idea of Jinx being scared.
“Okay then, let’s go get the bastards.”
I had a feeling my grin looked far more evil than his.
***
Less than thirty minutes later we were driving home, the Grimoire on the back seat and the sound of terrified screaming ringing in my ears. Jinx was squirming in clear glee beside me. Satisfaction and pleasure flowed through my veins. Revenge felt good.
Luckily, one of the idiots had owned a gun and the scene we had left behind looked entirely mundane.
I grinned like a fool until we reached my driveway. Then, as the adrenaline started to drain away, reality rushed in to replace it. Bloodthirsty rage wasn’t usually my style. What had come over me? Was hanging out with a demon somehow having an influence on me? Was I turning to the dark side? Was my soul in peril?
I hurried Jinx into the house. Wine. I needed wine. A lot of wine, before I spiraled into full-blown panic. With shaking hands I poured two glasses, draining half of mine before I handed one to Jinx. He sniffed it suspiciously. Then he took a large mouthful, clearly copying me. I watched as his eyes widened, then he spat red wine out everywhere. All down his pink tee shirt, all over the kitchen counter, all over the floor.
I stared in shocked silence as he glared at me accusingly as if I had fed him something disgusting on purpose. A long, still moment passed. As if we were frozen in a tableau. Then laughter bubbled up from within me until I couldn’t contain it. It exploded out of me, making Jinx jump, which just made me laugh even harder. My shoulders heaved, my eyes watered. I clutched onto the counter for support.
Jinx stared at me in concerned bewilderment, like he was worried I had lost my mind. I thought he might have a point but I still couldn’t stop laughing. If I was going crazy, it felt good and I should have done it years ago.
Eventually his look grew amused and he grinned at me. My mirth was clearly contagious. His eyes sparkled with merriment, and seeing him so happy, whilst knowing I was the cause of it, made my stomach feel all fluttery.
Slowly my laughter eased off, and I gasped in wheezy breaths of oxygen. Wiping tears from my eyes, I tried to regain control.
“You are quite right, it is a disgusting habit,” I told Jinx.
He smiled at me. A bright, happy smile that lit up his face. It also looked startlingly human. I blinked, a little taken aback.
Then I wondered why I was surprised. He was an intelligent, sentient being. There was far more we shared in common than anything that divided us. He was a person, just as much as any shifter or any paranormal being was. It disappointed me that my upbringing had clouded my perception so much and lulled me into thinking of him as ‘other’. I’d been blinded to his personhood, even though I tried to rail against the prejudices I had been raised with. I needed to do better. Jinx deserved better.
He was Jinx, who happened to be a demon. He was adorable and lovely. Further comprehension dawned on me. People had hurt him and therefore my fury had been righteous. It wasn’t some dark demon energy seeping into me. My reaction had entirely been my own. Desire for violent revenge was a core part of my true nature. I just had never felt protective or possessive over anyone before. This side of me had never had cause to rise until now.
Sobered by that thought, I opened the broom cupboard and took out a mop and a bucket. Demons were people. I’d always known that. In an abstract, academic way. An opinion that I had taught myself in an effort to distance myself from the teachings of my upbringing. But now I truly felt it. Demons were people. And I was capable of more darkness than I had ever realized. It was a lot to take in. Demons weren’t bad, and I wasn’t good. We were all just shades of gray.
Jinx watched me intently as I filled the bucket with soapy water. I wondered if he could sense my turbulent thoughts. I gave the wine covered floor one swish of the mop, then I handed it to the demon. He took it without quibble and diligently started cleaning the floor. Clearly happy to clean up the mess he had made.
I watched for a moment. Bemused by a demon doing housework. It was further proof that they weren’t inherently evil. I grabbed a cloth and started cleaning the counter. Once the kitchen was clean, I’d need to strip Jinx and dunk him in the shower. To wash all the wine off of him of course. If it led to other things, then I certainly wasn’t going to complain. I could definitely use the distraction from my very deep thoughts. Luckily my imagination fired up and started providing lovely images of what Jinx and I could get up to in and after the shower.
I started humming to myself as I worked. And another realization washed over me. I’d never been happier.
Chapter ten
Averyeroticdreamtook a hold of me. I was floating through the stars with Jinx as he rode me. His ass deliciously tight around my cock, wet and slurping. Confusion roiled through me and I woke up to find I was indeed inside Jinx, but in his mouth, not his ass.
I looked down at him nestled between my legs, he looked back up at me and grinned around his mouthful of cock, his amber eyes bright.
I moaned in pleasure. The sight of him stuffed with my cock was nearly as good as the sensation.
“You know technically, you should ask first,” I groaned. “Consent is sexy.”
He paused and a worried look filled his eyes, he started to pull off, so I put my hand on the top of his head and pushed him back down. Luckily he didn’t seem to have a gag reflex.
“It’s fine!” I said hurriedly. “Carry on.”
