It was the only explanation for why she’d go to such lengths to get him back when she had everything she’d ever need with him gone. The realization blew my mind while simultaneously leaving a sour taste in my mouth. Itcouldn’tbe true. If love was real, why …
Maybe you’re the problem.
I closed my eyes and tipped my head up to blow out a harsh puff of air, hoping the thoughts and memories would leave me on that white cloud of breath. I shook my head and went to my car. My mind went blank as I drove home. The tension in my shoulders only eased when I pulled into the long driveway, my new place coming into view.
The light blue Victorian house was nestled in the middle of pine trees, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the grand splendor of it, as I did every time I returned home since buying the estate recently. I’d lived in countless homes and apartments throughout mymanyyears, but even after the couple of months in which I’d called this one home, there was no doubt in my mind that it was my favorite. With its tall towers, dark wood flooring and paneling, and high ceilings in each room, it was a home befitting a king.
Was I a king? No.
But I was a demon, which was close enough.
I got out and reached back into my car to grab the books I’d checked out from the library. I waltzed through the entryway of my home and toward the double doors off the left-hand side. I pushed the thick doors open and stepped into my very own piece of Heaven.
Ceiling-high shelves spanned every inch of wallspace, and books filled all of them. I passed an appreciative glance around the library, admiring my massive collection. I had books from every era, and the smell of old and new pages mingled in the large room to create the most calming smell. With a flick of my hand, fire ignited with a loud pop in the stone fireplace.
I sat my new books down on the mahogany coffee table, which I’d arranged between the fireplace and a trio of cushioned couches. The warm glow of the fireplace lit my path to the circular tower in the corner of the room, and I pulled the heavy red curtains back from the span of windows. The winter sun offered the cozy library more light as I went back to the couch.
I already ran warm, so with the fire going, I peeled out of my hoodie and tossed it with my ball cap toward the adjacent couch. The cool air of the house kissed my bare torso as I reached for the books to decide with which one to start. A flash of movementmade me pause. I looked at the mantle over the fireplace and found a thick black snake slithering across the top of it.
I tipped my head in greeting. “What’s up, Coldin?”
The demon flicked his forked tongue at me and continued his path down the fireplace. He headed toward the door, and I chuckled to myself, guessing I’d disturbed the snake from wherever he’d been hiding in here.
I turned back to the books in front of me. Throughout my long life, I’d learned the best escape from myself was by reading. It offered a reprieve from the hard experience I carried while simultaneously giving me a glimpse into humans—their thoughts, their emotions. I could peer deep into their minds and hearts, and that was more than I’d ever get from just bedding them.
It was only while I read their carefully crafted words that I ever wondered if I had things wrong. Maybe humanscouldbe more than their lies, greed, and hatred. But then I hung around them and was reminded that they would always be that way. Liars. Cheats. Incapable of the kind of love they wrote about.
Love. Ha. What a fucking joke.
I’d never fall for that shit again.Ever.
My gaze bounced between three of the five books I’d brought home—the ones Serenity had recommended. Despite my disdain for humans, I couldn’t lie. From the minute she’d walked into the bar last night, she’d piqued my interest—her wintery pure scent, her messy personal situation, the taste of her pleasure, the perfection of her curvy and inked body. Even her shy, fumbling mannerisms today called out to the monster inside of me. Her sweet and timid disposition made me want to corrupt and devour her. It made me want to bring out all the hurt-feelings she no doubt kept buried inside.
She smiled prettily to my face, but I’d seen her the night before. There was a certain sadness she carried yet hid.
Eager to get a deeper glimpse into the human’s head, I grabbed the dark romance book she’d recommended. I settled back against the plush cushion of my couch, propped my feet up on the coffee table, and let the crackling fire create a soothing background track to my reading.
It was always interesting to see what humans labeled as “dark” romance. To a creature like me, one created from the filthy and depraved, these kinds of stories were just an average day in my world. It might as well have been a fucking rom-com. Especially this particular one. A stalker romance? Please. Perseus—the golden-haired guitarist in our band and fellow Incubus—did that shit regularly during the early stages of his pursuit of Harper.
Still, I wasn’t lying when I’d told Serenity that I liked romance books. They were some of my favorites. Iwasa sex demon, so romance was interwoven with my very existence. Not to mention, the genre was a huge insight into the human emotion known as the world’s greatest lie.
Romance books delved into how people fellinlove, what made them falloutof love, and what was so great about the damn feeling. Reading these stories was as close to experiencing it as I’d ever get.
The tales also kept my mind fresh with ideas for sex and new ways to pleasure my partners, something I took a lot of pride in. After all, the better they liked it, the better I ate.
About a quarter into the book, Coldin appeared in the library doorway, not as a snake, but in human form. A silver ring pierced through the center of his bottom lip, and a dark skull face spanned the skin of his neck. He’d dressed in a fitted black tee, which exposed his many other tattoos. The grim reaper hovering above screaming souls decorated his right arm. An animal skull with blood dripping from its jaws was on the left. A single snake eye painted the tops of both hands. Thick bandsof black ink adorned both of his wrists, though,thosetattoos weren’t drawn on by human tools. Rather, they were evidence of the demonic handcuffs that allowed him to roam Earth with us but kept him from killing freely.
He fixed his forever blank green eyes on me and announced, “Zagan is calling for me.”
I raised a brow. If Zagan was calling for Coldin, that meant it was through shadow speak since the Letum demon didn’t have a phone. And if Zagan was using shadow speak, that meant Iyla must’ve really done it. She’d saved Zagan.
The news stunned me. Coldin disappeared in a plume of shadows, leaving me to stare at the suddenly empty space. A human managed to beat a demon? I didn’t like Iyla, but I had to give her props. She had guts if she was able to beat Babette. Perhaps her feelings for Zagan were stronger than demonic powers.
“Yeah, right,” I muttered to myself before turning back to the book in my hand.
I finished the book quickly, and while it was entertaining, it hadn’t made mefeelanything. I hadn’t gained a new grasp on myself or humans, and that was what I wanted—no,needed—right now. I wanted to feel something deeper and real.
I wanted to know why Zagan had been ready to throw away his life for Iyla.
