Maybe I wouldn’t find any solace here, either.
Creeping deeper into the manor, the green light of a fire crackled down the hall, and I found myself drawn to it.
I entered what appeared to be a greeting room, with two leather couches facing each other and a chessboard set between them.
A large, emerald fire crackled in an obsidian fireplace on the far wall, illuminating the form of a man who was clearly drunk and playing a game of chess against himself.
“Shemhazai?” I asked curiously, and the demon startled, swinging bright green eyes to meet mine.
He frowned, looking me up and down with an adorably baffled expression, before cocking his head to the side.
“No one calls me that. Call me Shem. Or Hazai,” he slurred, taking a swig from his bottle.
Enthralled by how fucking beautiful this man was, I stepped deeper into the room, boldly helping myself to the couch sitting opposite of him.
I looked down at his chess game and chuckled, picking up one of the ivory pieces and making a move against his black pawns.
“You don’t like the name Shemhazai?” I asked.
He shrugged, frowning at the way I had inserted myself into his game.
“I used to. I used to think it was a name you would give to someone that people might like.”
“You think people don’t like you?” I asked, and he laughed, though the sound of it didn’t make me feel happy. It broke my heart.
“No one likes adisgustingsinner,” he cooed, cackling to himself as he moved one of his pieces in opposition to mine.
“I’m a fucking failure. I let them all down. They’re all gone now, and it’s all because of me,” he whispered.
I frowned but continued to play the game, hoping to distract this clearly sad and broken demon from whatever was haunting him.
“I don’t believe that,” I said softly, and he growled at me, which only made me like him more.
“You don’t know anything about me,” he snapped.
I shrugged. “You don’t know anything about me either,” I pointed out. “At least I know your name.”
He blinked at me, clearly trying to see me properly through his drunken haze, and I chuckled.
“For the record. I like the name Shemhazai,” I said quietly, moving another pawn on the board. I knew he was going to beat me with his next move. He’d backed me into a corner.
“I may not have known you very long, but you seem like someone that I might like.”
The demon’s green eyes seemed to flicker in the firelight, and a small smile tugged at his lips.
“Well then. I supposeyoucan call me Shemhazai if you feel so strongly about it,” he conceded before announcing his checkmate.
I glanced down at the board, smiling at his victory.
For some reason, it felt like an omen.
I would always let this demon—Shemhazai—win in this invisible game that I had started. And for some reason I couldn’t define, I kind of fucking loved that.
When I glanced back up, it was to find he had dozed off, the alcohol finally taking its toll.
Standing, I hovered before him.
I didn’t want to leave him here. I wanted him to be comfortable.
