What did that make me? Not much of a demon.
But I wasn’t human either.
Earth offered freedom, even if it was governed by other rules. It was freedom to be whoever I wanted to be, and that was something not awarded to me below the surface.
If my desire to be myself made me less of a demon, I’d like to say I could deal with that, but to a point, it bothered me. I’d spent most of my life feeling inferior. At least on Earth, I was stronger, taller, and faster than most.
I was also more violent with tendencies that weren’t human.
It wasn’t an easy balance to maintain.
When I asked Nikki if she was okay, it was because despite her smile and laugh, I could sense the misery from her, and beyond the misery was guilt. These things were in my nature to pick up on, so I could pry them apart and make it worse for the victim I was torturing.
I didn’t want that, not for Nikki.
My attention was dragged back to reality by Nikki’s laugh, and I stopped midchew to raise my eyes at her. “What?”
“You eat like it’s your last meal.”
I shrugged, swallowing. “It’s good food.”
Her smile was radiant. “Well, thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Exactly as it was intended.”
I made a point to slow down as I finished my meal, one step short of licking the plate before placing it on the blanket and rolling onto my back, squinting at the sky.
“Thank you, Nikki,” I said.
“For the food?”
Rolling my head to watch her as she packed the basket away, I said, “For inviting me.”
“I’m glad I did. I can’t imagine many who would be thrilled at the prospect.” She relaxed against the gravestone, sighing, “You seem downright relaxed here.”
“I’m relaxed everywhere.”Lies.I was never relaxed in Hell. “Tell me about your dad,” I said.
Nikki tilted her head so her cheek rested against the stone. It was strange the importance humans put on inanimate objects to remind them of those they loved.
“He treated me differently.”
“From your brother?”
“From everyone.” She sighed. “He welcomed me into his home when he’d married my mother, and I never felt I wasn’t a part of the family. He absolutely doted on me, but it was never about the things he could buy me, although I still love that car.” She glanced in the direction of the parking lot as if she could see the little Honda. I couldn’t, so there was no way she could. “But it was like he wanted to teach us to be the best people we could be. We’d play games in the evening instead of watching TV, games that involved problem-solving.” She tapped her forehead, and I smiled. “And he always wanted to know how school was and get involved in whatever hobbies I had at the time.” Nikki laughed. “Honestly, I’ve been through so many hobbies I don’t even know what I enjoy doing in my spare time anymore.”
“Sounds like a great father.”
“The best,” she replied, and for the first time that day, I heard the emotion break in her voice. Through her entire speech she was biting at her bottom lip, and when a spot of blood appeared, I sat up, handing her a napkin from the basket. She dabbed her eyes with it and frowned when I took it from her and held it against the blood on her lip.
What I really wanted to do was lick it off. Blood was a drug, and the blood of someone so pure and fucking beautiful would be ecstasy as it slid down my throat. If I sucked on her bottom lip, I could draw the elixir into me, and thoughts of fucking her while I tasted her blood invaded my mind.
“Sorry,” she muttered as I tried to keep the napkin still while she talked. “Bad habit.”
“We all have them.”
She watched me, and after a moment when her lip had stopped bleeding, she asked, “What are yours?”
“My what?”
